Birmingham City Council

Missed bin collections have doubled in Birmingham since controversial changes have been introduced, new figures reveal.

Birmingham City Council

The new approach, which was agreed between the city council and unions to resolve last year's strike, has been in operation since 24 September.

The rate of missed collections subsequently jumped from less than 80 per 100,000 properties to more than 160 after the changes.

At a meeting on Tuesday bins chief Councillor Majid Mahmood admitted there had been "difficulties" but vowed that the service would be back to normal within weeks.

The leader of Birmingham City Council has confirmed the local authority contributed £52,000 towards a failed bid to lure Channel 4 to the city.

BBC

Last week, the broadcaster chose Leeds rather than Birmingham as the location for its new headquarters.

Addressing a full council meeting yesterday, Councillor Ian Ward said the total cost of the bid was £282,000.

Birmingham City Council has voted to lobby the government for a second vote on Brexit - and possibly a general election.

BBC

The Liberal Democrats prompted the debate yesterday in the council chamber with a motion essentially calling for a public vote on the final terms of Brexit.

It was passed after backing from the council’s ruling Labour group, who forced through an amendment to lobby for a general election in the event of a "no deal" or one that was voted down by Parliament.

Earlier this week, a Downing Street source told the BBC the Prime Minister was clear that there would be no new referendum.

Cycling enthusiasts disappointed by the decision not to build a velodrome in Birmingham for the Commonwealth Games have been told to "make a noise" by the organising committee chairman.

Speaking at the announcement of the official venues for the Games on Friday chairman John Crabtree said that he was not involved in the decision to host track cycling in London instead of Birmingham.

But he also said that he understood the decision not to build a new facility on financial grounds.

Mr Crabtree said that if he were in the shoes of a cyclists wanting a new velodrome built, he would be out lobbying for it.

BIRMINGHAM CITY COUNCIL

"There's austerity at the moment, and everyone understands that. And we all know that all our services, wherever they are, are under pressure aren’t they?

"So everything that you spend your money on you have to make sure you get a return on.

"I say to the cyclists, make a noise. Lobby. Do what I would do if I was you. Get your lycra on and use social media, that's the thing today."

The venues for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games were confirmed on Friday.

Birmingham City Council says it's getting a high volume of calls about missed bin collections, three weeks after a new system for workers was brought in.

They're now on a five-day week, and some staff have told the BBC they're unhappy with how that's been rolled out, and that it's led to streets being missed.

BBC

The authority said there might be some disruption as it moves from the old system to the new one.

Home care workers in Birmingham are to take further strike action today in a long-running dispute over cuts to their hours.

BBC

The workers, employed by Birmingham City Council, are protesting proposed working hours which would see staff working triple split-shifts over a 16-hour day.

The council said change was "vital" to better meet patient needs.