A Liberal Democrat now leads Birmingham City Council, despite Sir Ed Davey’s party being the smallest group in the authority, after a coalition deal with the Greens and a new independent bloc propelled Roger Harmer into the top job.
The councillor for Acocks Green won the leadership of Europe’s largest council at a full meeting of the 101-seat authority, securing 40 votes in the first round – comfortably ahead of Conservative group leader Robert Alden on 19 and Reform UK’s Jex Parkin on 18. One Reform UK councillor, Rebecca Waters, broke party ranks to vote for Harmer, prompting internal friction within Reform.
Harmer, the first Liberal Democrat to hold the position, will lead a minority coalition government comprising his own party (12 seats), the Greens (19 seats), and the seven-strong “Better Birmingham Independents” led by Ward End councillor Harris Khaliq. The arrangement does not command an outright majority, meaning the administration will need support from other parties to pass key decisions. In an unusual power-sharing model, Green group leader Julien Pritchard is expected to take over the leadership at a later, yet-to-be-agreed date, under what has been described as a rotating leadership agreement. Following his election, Harmer announced a cabinet that allocates top roles to five Green councillors, three Liberal Democrats (including himself), and two Independents.
Coalition dynamics and the scrutiny deal
The most striking feature of the new administration is the pre-arranged allocation of all seven scrutiny committee chair roles to the Conservative group, which holds 16 seats and is the fourth-largest party on the council. No members of Reform UK – the largest single party with 23 seats – or Labour (17 seats) were offered any chairing roles. The move has drawn sharp criticism from both sides of the chamber, with Labour leader Nicky Brennan branding it a “grubby deal with the Tories” to ensure “an easy ride in the months ahead, rather than having to face cross-party scrutiny”. She added: “Any pretence that this coalition is progressive is over on day one.”
Reform UK’s Jex Parkin, who represents Kingstanding, called the decision a “complete democratic failure”. He argued: “It is clear that Reform is the largest party on the council, and so should have the lion’s share of the scrutiny roles. To give those wholly to the fourth largest party is a complete democratic failure. I seriously hope the Conservatives and the other parties involved in this deal reflect on their behaviour and conduct.”
The scrutiny deal effectively hands the Conservatives a powerful oversight role across all council committees, despite their fourth-place position. Conservative group leader Robert Alden, who represents Erdington, has previously proposed the creation of a “Group Leaders’ Council” to foster stability. His party’s chairing of every scrutiny committee is part of a wider pact that helped secure Harmer’s election.
Voting and opposition reactions
Speaking to BirminghamLive shortly after his election, Harmer described it as “a tremendous honour” and said he felt “very humbled and very grateful to all my colleagues who voted for me”. He acknowledged the fractured result: “We accept the electorate has given Birmingham City Council a very, very hung council, split across the parties, and we will work with all parties to better Birmingham. We will be listening and willing to talk to all.” In his speech before the vote, Alden said Birmingham had been “badly let down” by the previous Labour administration, which had been in power for 14 years. He said: “Whoever forms the next administration, be it ourselves or someone else round this chamber, they’re going to inherit a city that has gone from the cleanest city in Britain under the Conservative-led council in 2007… to one where residents have seen rubbish pile up and a bin strike that’s gone on for 18 months. This city doesn’t need blame it needs solutions.” Reform UK’s Parkin echoed the criticism, telling the meeting: “The decline of this great city needs to end. It will come as no shock to members of this council to learn that public confidence in this local authority is at rock bottom. The state of our roads, the rubbish on our streets, the rising crime, and indeed the decline of our neighbourhoods.”
Neither Labour nor Reform UK sought to join the coalition. Labour leader Nicky Brennan said her party would “continue to use our voice to hold the administration to account and push for the deal to end the bin strike to be honoured”. Labour has stated it will not enter any power-sharing arrangement, opting to serve from the opposition benches. Reform UK, despite its 23 seats – the most of any party – has ruled out forming a coalition, with Parkin arguing there was “no viable route” to run the council given other parties’ unwillingness to work with them.
Bin strike and financial crisis loom over new administration
The new administration inherits a council grappling with a protracted bin strike that has run for approximately 17 months, causing widespread disruption. Recycling collections have been suspended since February 2025. A deal to end the strike was reportedly agreed in March 2026 between Unite the Union and the previous Labour administration, mediated through Acas. However, the council has stated that “no deal exists” because the previous leader’s comments were made in a political capacity. Unite insists a deal was reached and is urging the new council to implement it. Lord Brendan Barber, a negotiator in the dispute, believes the strike could have been resolved months earlier. The industrial action was initially triggered by proposed pay cuts and the elimination of Waste Recycling and Collection Officer (WRCO) roles, which Unite argues would lead to significant pay losses and compromise health and safety. The council maintains the WRCO role is unique to Birmingham and that retaining it risks future equal pay claims. The cost of the strike to the council was estimated at £33.4 million by January 2026.
Beyond the strike, Birmingham City Council issued a Section 114 notice in September 2023, effectively declaring bankruptcy, due to an equal pay liability estimated between £650 million and £760 million. This has forced over £300 million in budget cuts, affecting statutory services and community infrastructure. The council has lost over £1 billion in funding since 2011, and faces unprecedented savings requirements of over £300 million in the next two financial years (2024/25 and 2025/26). A 9.99% council tax increase is planned for both years. The financial crisis has been compounded by a new IT system implemented in April 2022, which caused operational issues in finance and HR. The government has sent in six commissioners to help run the council, and Birmingham has received £1.25 billion in exceptional financial support from the government. The new leadership must also navigate a broken political landscape: the May 2026 local elections produced a hung council with Reform UK on 23 seats, Greens 19, Labour 17, Conservatives 16, Independents 13, and Liberal Democrats 12. Harmer, a councillor of 17 years, now faces the task of building stability from an unprecedentedly fragmented chamber.
