It is a new era for Birmingham and its embattled city council after Friday's meeting saw a new leader declared at the local authority. Liberal Democrat councillor Roger Harmer will now lead the council, with his party forming a minority administration that includes the Green Party and the Better Birmingham and Birmingham Independent Groups.
Birmingham Council was without political leadership for almost a month following the local elections, which saw Labour lose control of the local authority and the fragmentation of the city's politics. This rejection of two-party politics meant no party had even half the number of council seats needed for a majority (51). While Labour and Reform both announced they would not be involved in a coalition, the Lib Dems, Greens and various independents ultimately agreed to work together in a bid to set up a stable administration via a minority administration.
Coun Harmer, Lib Dem group leader, pitched this vision of the council's future leadership at Friday's meeting, which also saw Coun Robert Alden (Conservative) and Coun Jex Parkin (Reform) nominated as leader by councillors in their parties. Here is a look at some of the key moments from the historic meeting.
1) Lib Dems say 'tackling bins strike head-on is essential'
In his speech to the council chamber, Coun Roger Harmer said: "I speak today not just as leader of the Liberal Democrats, but as a proud advocate for a coalition built on partnership. This collaboration is a testament to the strong, shared resolve that exists across parties to put our city first and put right the failures of the past."
On what the coalition's priorities are, Coun Harmer continued: "First and foremost, we must get the basics right. Our streets should be free from litter and fly-tipping. The bin strike has gone unresolved for far too long, impacting the daily lives of thousands. Tackling this head-on is not optional; it is essential. We must negotiate a solution that is fair to our refuse workers, is good value to our residents and enables us to work together to deliver an efficient reliable waste collection service and not just restart recycling but deliver record high levels of recycling."
Other key focuses for the coalition include tackling anti-social behaviour, rogue landlords, potholes, dangerous drivers and "those who ignore planning and waste regulations".
2) Tory leader says 'city needs solutions, not blame'
Coun Robert Alden, leader of the Conservatives at Birmingham Council, was nominated as leader by fellow Tory councillor Matt Bennett. "Birmingham is the greatest city in the world," Coun Alden said. "But it has been badly let down. Whoever takes control of this council needs to be really clear, just blaming the failures of the last 14 years won't be accepted by the residents of Birmingham in the long-run. The city doesn't need blame, it needs solutions. That's why at the election we put forward our plan to clean up Birmingham."
He continued that the Tories had called for a Cross-Party 'Group Leaders Council', which would have brought together the leaders of all recognised political groups and senior officers on a regular basis to tackle pressing issues. He added his party wanted to "work across the chamber to ensure all parties are included". "I would desperately love to run this city," Coun Alden said. "It's my home city where I've spent all my life. None of us have a majority and over the next four years, none of us should ever forget that."
3) Reform hits out at 'chaotic coalition of musical chairs'
Reform group leader Jex Parkin previously said that despite his party now being the largest on the council, they had "no viable route" to take control as other groups "refused to work with them". He said last month that Reform had accepted they are unable to form an administration due to Birmingham "clearly electing a left-wing majority". But in his pitch for leadership at Friday's meeting, he argued the two other options from Coun Harmer and Coun Alden were "not viable".
During his speech, he described Coun Harmer's pitch as a "chaotic coalition of musical chairs" and the Tories as a "much-diminished minority party" after the elections. "We are deciding how we interpret the most significant election results this city has ever experienced," he said. "No party commands anywhere near a majority and any potential administration will require cooperation across political boundaries. In the weeks following the election, the process has dragged on – parties posturing and picking positions whilst the city waits for clear direction."
"Birmingham requires recovery," Coun Parkin went on to tell the council chamber. "The decline of this great city needs to end." On what his party could offer, he said: "Life experience beats political experience each and every single time. We are not the party of business as usual."
4) Greens 'proud to step up and serve the city'
Following a vote in the council chamber, Coun Harmer's leadership bid had 40 votes compared to 19 for Coun Alden and 18 for Coun Parkin. Having achieved a clear majority when it came to the votes, Coun Harmer was elected as the first Lib Dem leader of Birmingham City Council to huge applause within the council chamber. The Greens, who had just two councillors before May's local elections and now have 19, are set to play a pivotal role in the coalition alongside the Lib Dems.
After the new administration on the council was confirmed, Green Party councillor Julien Pritchard told the LDRS: "As a group of Greens, we're really proud to be able to step up and serve the city, try to make a difference and work towards a safer, cleaner city. This is a partnership, we're looking forward to working cross-party – it's a joint leadership really, obviously you have to have a leader in terms of constitution."
Coun Pritchard went on to confirm that the plan, as part of the coalition, is to formally swap leaders in the future – this means the Green councillor is set to step into the official leadership role in a couple of years time. "We're very proud and pleased to play our collaborative part in giving a bit of hope back to Birmingham," he said. On whether talks to form a coalition were difficult, Coun Pritchard said: "There was a lot we agreed on, a lot of shared priorities. Obviously we don't agree on everything otherwise we'd be in the same party. But there was a lot of common ground and we all approached those negotiations with the right spirit of collaboration, of trying to make it work and trying to do the best for the city. Long may that continue."
