The bin strike in Birmingham has now lasted over a year. With a Prime Minister outgoing – and a potential new incumbent still drumming up support – the workers on strike continue to disrupt a local service that is vital to the city at large. As with many Labour causes in recent years, this one is beginning to haunt the state of things, not just in a political system but much further afield.
Andy Burnham MP (Makerfield/Labour) is vying for attention and a top prize. He’s not looking to settle matters between Unions and a Local Authority. The saga is likely to remain uncontested as a central concern in London. Just as Birmingham’s finances went under, so the local bin collection regime has gone the same way.
The struggle of Labour is to re-engage with its support base and also stakeholders, and not to give in to the temptation to use Departments to strike out in new ways to cover for existing problems. Surely its remit is overlapping, and a lack of oversight is showing as its primary cause. This means Burnham has a job on his hands.