Stink over Brummie binmen strike forces out council chief
A COUNCIL leader quit yesterday after a strike by binmen left maggot-infested rubbish bags clogging streets.
John Clancy, head of Birmingham City Council, resigned after being slammed over his handling of the lengthy industrial row.
He said “frenzied media speculation” was beginning to harm the council and left less than a week after fellow Labour councillors proposed a no-confidence motion in him. Mr Clancy accepted he had made mistakes for which he was “sorry” and took “full responsibility”. The strike began in June, when the council revealed restructuring. A deal appeared to have been agreed last month but workers walked out again when it fell apart. Agency staff were drafted in over the summer. Furious residents said rats had invaded the streets because of the heaps.