'Birmingham will always have a fantastic reputation' - insists Government minister despite finance and bin chaos

Local government minister Jim McMahon and deputy prime minister Angela Rayner, visited Birmingham yesterday, April 10, after a major incident was declared earlier this month.

Industrial action has seen streets blighted by enormous mountains of rubbish; growing fears over rats and warnings the city faced a public health emergency.

The city council has taken action to clear the huge backlog of waste in recent days, with more trucks now able to leave the depots.

But the industrial action, which was triggered by a dispute between the Labour-run council and Unite the union, has left some fearing for Birmingham’s reputation as the situation attracts headlines from across the world.

Andy Street, the former Conservative mayor of the West Midlands, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, recently that the city’s reputation was “in the mud again” because of the strike.

During an interview with the Local Democracy Reporting Service yesterday, Mr McMahon downplayed the idea that Birmingham’s reputation had been harmed by the bins strike and the council’s financial crisis.

“Birmingham will always have a reputation of being a fantastic, thriving city,” he said. “There’s no doubt the local authority has faced difficulty – that’s why there’s commissioners are in place, that’s why it’s got a recovery plan.”

Coun Majid Mahmood, the cabinet member for environment at the council, struck a similar tone last month, saying: “I don’t think the reputation of Birmingham has taken a hit.