Birmingham residents get new council leadership

Four political groupings will now run Birmingham City Council after the authority’s AGM confirmed a new administration on Friday 5 June.

Councillor Roger Harmer of the Liberal Democrats was voted in as council leader, with Green councillor Julien Pritchard named deputy leader. The administration brings together the Liberal Democrats, the Green Party, Better Birmingham and Birmingham Independent councillors.

Bin services and basic street standards top the agenda

Harmer said the new leadership would focus first on core services, including litter, fly-tipping and the unresolved bin strike, which he said had affected daily life for thousands of residents.

The decision gives Birmingham a political administration again after a short period in which services continued under senior officers while the council had no settled political leadership.

Cabinet roles now cover finance, housing and social care

The new cabinet includes Chris Garghan on finance, Harris Khaliq on city operations and digital, Rob Grant on transport, Baber Baz on housing and homelessness, Kamel Hawwash on children, young people and families, and Nosheen Khalid on health and social care.

That spread matters because the administration will now have to show whether a cross-party arrangement can make visible progress on services residents use every week, from bins and roads to housing and care. Birmingham’s wider civic leadership has also changed recently, including the installation of Birmingham’s new Lord Mayor at the same AGM period.

Partnership says stability is the immediate test

Pritchard said Green councillors wanted to work toward “a greener, safer and fairer city” and described the arrangement as a collaborative administration.

The council said the new political leadership would now focus on stability and delivery of key services while working alongside senior officers.

Source: Birmingham City Council