Brum bin strike costs taxpayer £40,000 a day

THE Birmingham bin strike is costing taxpayers £40,000 a day as the bitter dispute drags into its seventh week.

Maggots and rats have been having a field day among bin bags stacked more than 8ft high in some areas.

While residents have been trying to clear away mountains of rubbish that have piled up since the industrial action started on June 30, Birmingham City Council is now spending £40,000 a day on 17 agency crews to tackle the backlog.

The Unite union called the strike over council plans to cut £5million from its budget by restructuring waste services, which the union claims will threaten the jobs of 120 binmen. It has warned that the action could continue until Christmas unless a ‘fair deal’ is negotiated.

Almost 11,000 Birmingham residents have signed a petition demanding a refund on their council tax over the missed bin collections.

Labour councillor Lisa Trickett, the city’s cabinet member for clean streets, recycling and environment, said: ‘It’s not just the bin service that’s suffering – other public services are put at risk by the cost of this strike action.

‘We will look for a resolution this week. We have agreement on some key areas – it is a case of the union joining us and actually finding a way forward.’