By-election triggered as Labour councillor steps down
VOTERS in Hall Green face a trip to the polls in May to elect a new councillor after the resignation of a Labour backbencher.
Cllr Sam Burden announced he was stepping down after six years due to work and family commitments. He said he would donate his final month’s council allowance, about £1,350 before tax, to Hall Green Library for new books.
His resignation will put the Conservatives and Lib Dems on alert as the seat has previously been held and contested by all three parties and will indicate the political mood in the city. The election will take place on May 4, the same day as the mayoral election and the winner will serve for just one year before the next round of elections, based on new ward boundaries, in May 2018.
Cllr Burden said: “I have lived in Hall Green Ward for 17 years and it has been a privilege to represent the area since May 2011 when I was the first ever Labour councillor to be elected for the ward. I have combined my duties as a councillor with full-time work. “During 2016 I changed roles at work which meant it has become too difficult to maintain both roles. This is not a decision I have taken lightly or quickly but one that I need to make to preserve some semblance of work-life balance.” He stressed: “I do not leave because of any issues within the Labour Group of Birmingham City Council.
“My view is that this city faces enormous challenges because of the Tory Government’s austerity programme which has disproportionately affected Birmingham residents.
“My final act as a councillor is to donate my last month’s council allowance to Hall Green library for new books.
“The library has been badly hit in recent years and my family have been big users and supporters.”
He has also suggested he might return to front-line politics if time allows in the future.