The Chamberlain News

Ian Ward elected leader of Labour group

Councillor Ian Ward has been elected Leader of Birmingham Labour group.

The former deputy leader, who served under both Sir Albert Bore and John Clancy, was voted in by fellow councillors at a meeting of the group last night.

Labour sources indicate that he won with a resounding vote. The BBC’s Kathryn Stanczyszyn reports that he won by 54 to Cllr Barry Henley’s 14 votes.

Speaking after the result, Ian Ward, said:

I take on this role with a great sense of responsibility. This is a crucial time for Birmingham and I want to send a clear message of reassurance to both the people of Birmingham and the Birmingham Independent Improvement Panel.

The bin dispute must be resolved. The people of Birmingham deserve clean streets. But I won’t take my eyes off the other huge issues that face Birmingham. We need to balance the budget too.

Since 2010 the council has shouldered £700 million of cuts handed down by successive Tory governments. In the face of these cuts there has been a highly successful Labour movement of unity in Birmingham and I will not allow this to breakdown.

These are challenging times for local government but I am ready to continue working with all our partners for a better Birmingham.

Cllr Ward will be ratified as leader of Birmingham city council at its full council meeting on 7 November.

It is likely that the new leader will be challenged when the group meets for its Annual General Meeting after the all-out council elections in May.