wheelie bins

More rubbish: best thing about wheelie bins is the wheels, great-grandmother tells council

The inside track on Birmingham City Council - Paul Dale's Diary

By:
Published April 24, 2013, in Mr Dale's Diary, Opinion


Just when you thought Birmingham’s wheelie bin debate couldn’t become more surreal, it has.

Recently, cabinet member James McKay claimed that families in Brandwood and Harborne were so desperate to get rid of nasty old plastic rubbish sacks that they were shocked to discover that their properties were unsuitable for wheelie bins.

Some people, who had been ‘red carded’ by the council’s fearsome health and safety police, were even appealing against the decision in the hope that they might after all be allowed to take part in Birmingham’s refuse revolution, Cllr McKay claimed.

Imagine the awful scene as Labour supporters in Harborne sit around the kitchen table for supper.

“We just can’t wait to get our wheelie bins delivered next month. When do you get yours?”

Cue shuffling of feet and contemplating of navels.

“We’ve been refused. Just cannot believe it. We’ll appeal, of course.”

It’s wise to steer away from wheelie bin conversation over supper, I always feel.

And as if that wasn’t enough, the council’s ever inventive media officers have issued a press release entitled: “Why we love our wheelie bins.”

The missive highlights the “positive experiences” of people using bins.

Lifting the lid on Birmingham’s rubbish collection opinion poll row

People love wheelie bins so much they're appealing against being refused one, council claims

By:
Published April 19, 2013, in Politics


rubbishThe battle to capture hearts and minds in Birmingham’s wheelie bin row shows no sign of abating.

A war of surveys is gripping a debate where opposing sides are clearly settling in for the long haul.

Conservative and Liberal Democrat politicians have bombarded city council meetings for months with announcements that they have conducted opinion polls demonstrating almost total rejection of a £29 million scheme to switch rubbish collection from plastic sacks to wheeled bins.

Claims that 80 or even 90 per cent of residents in areas like Perry Barr, Erdington and Edgbaston oppose the bins have been commonplace, although documentary evidence hasn’t been released.

Now the Labour administration has hit back with an authentic survey conducted by respected pollsters Opinion Research Services, based on the results of 3,000 questionnaires.

Unfortunately, the interim survey results don’t quite demonstrate

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Council to ‘red card’ homes unsuitable for wheelie bins

Football-style system chosen to inform householders

By:
Published March 27, 2013, in Politics


redcardOccupants of properties deemed unsuitable for wheelie bins will be handed a football-style red card by Birmingham City Council.

The colour indicates that inspectors have decided that a house or flat has steps that are too steep, is on a slope, has insufficient storage space for a wheelie bin, or is inaccessible for collection vehicles.

However, householders in homes considered suitable for wheelie bins will receive a green card alerting them to expect a delivery of the new bins in due course.

The red and green card system is to have its first airing in Brandwood and Harborne, where

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What would Stalin have done about wheelie bins?

Tory leader hits out at 'dictatorial' Birmingham rubbish collection scheme

By:
Published March 20, 2013, in Opinion


stalinOn the subject of words you never thought to hear in the same sentence, how about Stalin and wheelie bins?

Mike Whitby, leader of Birmingham’s Conservative councillors, managed to liken tactics used by the ruthless Soviet leader to those being employed by the city’s Labour administration when consulting about the introduction of wheeled bins.

Whitby’s point was that the consultation exercise contained all sorts of questions about the type of bin residents might like and the size of household, and whether recycling was a good thing, but didn’t actually ask people whether they wanted wheelie bins.

The questionnaire also managed to ask respondents whether they were gay, bisexual, transgender as well as wishing to know about religious beliefs. Just the sort of questions Stalin might have posed.

On a more serious note, the Edgbaston District Committee turned out to be cult viewing for anyone interested in what the Tories would have us believe is one of the great issues of our time.

All of the key bin-saga figures were there.

James McKay, the Labour cabinet member responsible for

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We may get a black Pope: will we ever get a black Tory councillor?

The inside track on Birmingham City Council - Paul Dale's Diary

By:
Published February 12, 2013, in Mr Dale's Diary


councilhouseIt is probably a coincidence that Mike Whitby announced his intention to remain leader of the dwindling band of Birmingham Tory councillors just a few hours after the Pope said he would be abdicating.

Such are the affairs of great men, though, that the timing of these proclamations invariably raises more questions than answers.

Whitby, rattled by criticism of his extremely low profile since losing the council leadership last May, says he is renewed and eager to carry the fight to Labour. A perfect opportunity to do so will be at the annual budget meeting later this month where, for the first time in eight years the Conservative group will put forward its own spending proposals.

Any prospect of a joint Tory-Lib Dem budget in the spirit of the two parties’ coalition was dismissed somewhat abruptly by Liberal Democrat leader Paul Tilsley: “It will be my intention to present a

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