Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 1 September 2025 to Question 69721 on Waste Management: Birmingham City Council, whether his Department has provided payment to (a) Tom White Waste, (b) Job & Talent, (ci) Smart Solutions and (d) other local authorities and arm length bodies for the purposes of waste management in the jurisdiction of Birmingham City Council from 11 March 2025.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The department engages regularly with Birmingham City Council and Commissioners, as is normal for all Councils under intervention, and continues to monitor the disruption caused by the bin strikes and the associated impact to the residents of the city.
The waste dispute is a local issue and is rightly being dealt with by the Council. The Government has no formal role in this matter. Waste management funding arrangements are also a matter for the Council and the department does not pay for waste management services on behalf of councils.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Commissioners appointed to oversee Birmingham City Council on negotiations with Unite.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The department engages regularly with Birmingham City Council and Commissioners, as is normal for all Councils under intervention, and continues to monitor the disruption caused by the bin strikes and the associated impact to the residents of the city.
The waste dispute is a local issue and is rightly being dealt with by the Council. The Government has no formal role in this matter. Waste management funding arrangements are also a matter for the Council and the department does not pay for waste management services on behalf of councils.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions his Department has had with Birmingham City Council on the progress of negotiations with Unite.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The department engages regularly with Birmingham City Council and Commissioners, as is normal for all Councils under intervention, and continues to monitor the disruption caused by the bin strikes and the associated impact to the residents of the city.
The waste dispute is a local issue and is rightly being dealt with by the Council. The Government has no formal role in this matter. Waste management funding arrangements are also a matter for the Council and the department does not pay for waste management services on behalf of councils.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) reducing the remit of the Commissioners appointed to oversee Birmingham City Council and (b) recalling them with immediate effect.
Answered by Jim McMahon
Commissioners appointed to Birmingham City Council play a key role in supporting the Council’s recovery and ensuring it returns to a sustainable footing. They provide oversight, advice and challenge across the Council’s operations and exercise all functions associated with the Council’s governance and scrutiny of strategic decision making, and all functions relating to senior appointments. They have powers to make decisions directly should they deem that necessary.
There are currently no plans to make changes to the Commissioner team.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the Commissioners appointed to oversee Birmingham City Council in reaching a negotiated settlement of the Birmingham bin strikes.
Answered by Jim McMahon
Commissioners appointed to Birmingham City Council play a key role in supporting the Council’s recovery and ensuring it returns to a sustainable footing. They provide oversight, advice and challenge across the Council’s operations and exercise all functions associated with the Council’s governance and scrutiny of strategic decision making, and all functions relating to senior appointments. They have powers to make decisions directly should they deem that necessary.
There are currently no plans to make changes to the Commissioner team.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Government has funded any (a) local authorities and (b) arm’s length bodies for the purposes of waste management in the jurisdiction of Birmingham City Council from 11 March 2025.
Answered by Jim McMahon
Councils in England, including Birmingham City Council, are funded for waste services via the Local Government Finance Settlement. In the Settlement for 2025-26, Birmingham City Council received an overall 9.8% increase in Core Spending Power from £1,337.5 million in 2024-25 to £1,468.8 million in 2025-26. Details of the 2025-26 Settlement can be found here. The Government also agreed Exceptional Financial Support in-principle for Birmingham City Council of £180 million for 2025-26.
In addition to this, local government in England is expected to receive £1.1 billion of new funding in 2025-26 through the implementation of the Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging (pEPR) scheme to support local collection and disposal services, including recycling services.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is also providing transitional resource funding to councils in England, including Birmingham City Council, for weekly food waste collections. Councils will receive their allocations for this financial year in the coming weeks.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to protect green spaces in the urban areas of Birmingham Perry Barr constituency.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government recognises the value of that parks and green spaces, especially within urban areas, provide vibrant and inclusive locations for communities to socialise, volunteer, work, and exercise. I commend Perry Bar for its impressive upkeep of Perry Barr Playing Fields, which achieved the renowned Green Flag Award in 2021 and 2022. This MHCLG-owned award scheme sets the national standard for parks and green spaces that are welcoming, safe, well-maintained and promote biodiversity and community participation.
MHCLG has established the Parks Working Group, which brings together sector experts with government officials to find innovative ways of managing parks, creating employment, hosting economic activities and encouraging inward investment. Finally, the Government’s National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) allows communities to designate land as Local Green Space, in order to protect green areas that are important to them.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has had recent discussions with Birmingham City Council on child poverty.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
This Government is committed to reducing and alleviating child poverty. The Deputy Prime Minister is a member of the ministerial Child Poverty Taskforce that has engaged extensively across regions and nations, recognising that tackling child poverty requires a national effort. As Chair of the Mayoral Council, the Deputy Prime Minister met with mayors in January, including the Mayor of the West Midlands, to discuss shared priorities for the strategy. Combined and local authorities are key partners in this effort, and we will continue to engage with them to ensure the strategy supports and enables shared solutions.