How would each party actually end Birmingham’s bin strike?
When pressed on the central obstacle to a deal, none offer a clear path through it.
My thoughts on why no party can say how they'd break the cycle.
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EXC: More in Common / ITV News Central / Birmingham City Council poll
🌹 LAB: 32 (-33) — 23%
➡️ RFM: 26 (+26) — 22%
🌳 CON: 25 (+2) — 18%
🔶 LDM: 10 (-2) — 10%
🌍 GRN: 7 (+2) — 16%
👤 IND: 1 (+1) — 11%
No overall control — Labour projected to lose HALF its seats
Trump’s threat to Iran isn’t new - but the language is getting wilder.
Strikes seemingly planned for Tuesday, after a string of shifting deadlines and a social post that’s raising serious eyebrows.👇🏼
Meanwhile, the latest on a dramatic US rescue mission.
More on @itvnews at 10
NEW: A Reform UK councillor in Staffordshire has been suspended after allegations she shared racist social media posts.
Hope Not Hate says posts linked to Lynn Dean include derogatory comments about Black people and Muslims.
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Yesterday, Birmingham City Council leader John Cotton said the council had “reached out” to Unite to “end the stalemate”.
Today, Unite: “If the council are now ready to do that, we welcome it and will get a date arranged as soon as possible.”
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EXCLUSIVE
Unite boss Sharon Graham has held fresh "talks" with Birmingham City Council over the bin strike, after negotiations were walked away from last summer.
She said discussions had taken place with “a number of people”.
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Reform UK council leader George Finch has survived a no-confidence vote by just ONE vote.
He was criticised for saying he had a “boots on neck-type” method to get things done with council officials.
The result:
✅ 26 voted for the motion
❌ 27 voted against
➖ 2 abstained
NEW: Unite has been fined £260,000 for picketing during Birmingham’s bin dispute.
An injunction has been in place banning action that disrupts agency worker collections.
Unite says ‘attempt to intimidate’ striking bin workers.
I’m at Warwickshire County Council as leader George Finch faces a vote of no confidence brought by the Greens.
Reform UK Head of Local Government Ben Bradley is here watching proceedings.
The expectation is that Finch will just squeak through by less than a handful of votes.
NEW: Opening dates revealed for five long-awaited new railway stations in the West Midlands - after years of delays and rising costs.
📍 Darlaston & Willenhall: Thu 19 March
📍 Camp Hill Line – Kings Heath, Moseley Village & Pineapple Road: Tue 7 April
NEW: Unite will cut its Labour affiliation fee by £580,000 amid anger over the long-running Birmingham bin strike.
The move signals growing tensions between Labour and one of its biggest union backers on the anniversary of the all-out strike.
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Twelve months on, neither side is giving ground - leaving a toxic political and civic stalemate that has stretched across all four seasons.
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NEW: Walsall councillor Graham Eardley has been suspended by Reform UK with immediate effect pending investigation.
The party says it received a witness complaint alleging he acted so aggressively towards a female volunteer that security had to escort him from the building.
EXCLUSIVE
Councillors ‘threatened’ with being sued if they don’t pass Birmingham budget
One said: "No amount of intimidation will stop the opposition standing up for residents”
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EXCLUSIVE
The councillor in charge of Birmingham’s bin service has been filmed removing pro-strike placards during the ongoing refuse workers’ dispute.
Footage shared exclusively with ITV News Central shows Cllr Majid Mahmood taking down posters supporting bin workers.
www.itv.com/news/central...
West Midlands Combined Authority has confirmed Ed Cox as its Chief Executive.
He’s led the organisation in an interim role since June 2025.
His appointment was signed off today by the Mayor and leaders of the seven constituent councils.
Great to be grilled by students at Coventry Uni yesterday alongside political journalists from across the industry.
Lots of thoughtful discussion about AI, trust, and how journalism is changing.
Thanks for having me!
NEW: Birmingham City Council leader John Cotton claims the authority is no longer 'bankrupt'.
He says the upcoming budget will invest £130m in frontline services.
Full details to follow...
Sunday 1st feels like a quiet but historic day on the Midlands railways.
Public ownership of the region’s trains has officially begun - though if you’re on the platform this morning, coffee in hand, you probably won’t notice much difference.
Here’s why👇🏼
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Senior Birmingham City Councillor Waseem Zaffar has died suddenly at the age of 44.
A long-serving representative of the Lozells Ward and key figure in council transport and environment policy - including the Birmingham Clean Air Zone - tributes are pouring in from colleagues.
NEW: I understand that West Midlands Mayor @RichParkerLab sees Chief Constable Craig Guildford’s position as ‘untenable’.
We’re awaiting a statement from PCC Simon Foster - expected this afternoon.
@itvcentral.bsky.social
As a Labour PCC, Foster often defies his party.
He’s currently angry at ‘unfair’ police funding settlement and is vocal against the scrapping of the position of PCC.
But he’s known as someone who does things by the book and follows process - sometimes frustrating colleagues.
I understand West Mids PCC Simon Foster will issue a statement at some point this afternoon after the Home Sec said she had no confidence in police boss Craig Guildford.
As it stands Foster is the only person who could remove the Chief Constable from his position.
EXCLUSIVE
'Openly Islamophobic': Reform UK Councillor slammed for linking Muslim prayer to crime
Footage obtained by ITV News shows the councillor questioning whether teaching Muslim children to pray in schools could lead to them being radicalised.
www.itv.com/news/central...
One post simply said, “Yup” to a comment saying the Deputy Prime Minister was “just another greedy none thoroughbred.”
The account liked a comment saying: “Anyone who’s not actually white English should never be trusted to work within our government.”
www.itv.com/news/central...
EXCLUSIVE
Staffordshire councillor has denies endorsing racist comment that described Labour MP David Lammy as a “greedy none thoroughbred”.
Despite the post appearing beneath his own TikTok video, from an account with his name, which he had access to.
BREAKING: Ian Cooper has resigned as leader of Staffordshire County Council, days after Reform UK revoked his membership over alleged racist social media posts.
In an email to councillors, interim leader Martin Murray said: "I recognise that these are challenging circumstances"
“I can walk away today without consequences,” declared the embattled leader of Staffordshire County Council after having his Reform UK membership revoked amid allegations he posted racist remarks online.
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