Town pleads to be freed from ‘zombie’ council
SUTTON Coldfield is to make a bid for greater political freedom with town councillors saying that they want to escape the clutches of the “zombie” Birmingham City Council.
Last year the borough set up its own town council with the powers to raise money and fund local services and initiatives.
The Labour-run city council, which still controls key services like refuse collection, social services and transport in Sutton Coldfield, has been plunged into chaos with a leadership crisis and serious questions raised over its ability to balance its budget.
Residents in Sutton Coldfield are also angry over the decision of the Birmingham authority to release large sections of green belt land east of Walmley for housing and industrial development.
Now the Conservative-run town council has instructed explore opportunities political independence.
It follows calls by Sutton Coldfield MP Andrew Mitchell for Birmingham City Council to be broken up into a number of smaller councils, blaming its sheer size for its persistent failings. officials to for greater Town and city councillor Ewan Mackey (Con, Sutton Trinity) said: “Given the the lack of leadership and resulting chaos within Birmingham, this zombie council is clearly heading for disaster. “The current state of affairs makes the likelihood of Government intervention in some shape of form inevitable. “It is therefore even more pressing for Royal Sutton Coldfield to detach itself from the largest and worst-run council in Europe before Birmingham’s Labour leaders John Clancy and Ian Ward drag it down with them.” A draft motion, to be put town council next month, to the states: “This council shall instruct our clerk to explore what alternative possible structures of local government there may be for The Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield, outside of Birmingham City Council.
“Following the disgraceful decision by Labour politicians in Birmingham to build on Sutton’s green belt, disregarding the virtually unanimous view of Sutton Coldfield residents not to do so, this council will work with our MP Rt Hon Andrew Mitchell to explore alternative systems of local government that will protect Royal Sutton Coldfield in the future.”
Opposition Labour councillor Rob Pockock (Sutton Vesey) said there was a strong argument Birmingham should be broken up as it is so big it is ‘ungovernable’ by a single council.
But he added: “The Conservative high command in Government would never allow Sutton Coldfield to break away as it would wave goodbye to any chance the Tories have of running Birmingham. The Conservative voters of Sutton Coldfield are just pawns in this bigger aim.”
It is even more pressing for Royal Sutton Coldfield to detach itself from the largest and worst-run council in Europe Councillor Ewan Mackey