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<\/p>\nBirmingham’s local elections on May 7 come at a critical moment for the city, which has been stuck in the grip of a year-long bin strike<\/p>\n
A message saying ‘do not put your rubbish here’ on the side of a house in Selly Oak, Birmingham\/resident Elsa Ralph in 2024(Image: Alexander Brock)<\/p>\n
\u201cDo not put your rubbish here!\u201d a message, written on the side of a house in Selly Oak<\/a>, reads.<\/p>\n Along with small heaps of bin bags and eye-watering stenches in nearby roads, the street corner plea is a clear sign of how the area has been blighted by rubbish woes for some time.<\/p>\n And with local elections<\/a> taking place this week, there is frustration and a desire for action to be taken on doorsteps across Selly Oak, a neighbourhood popular with students.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Birmingham City Council election 2026 – full list<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Elsa Ralph, who has lived in the area for around three decades, said rubbish was dumped on her street \u201cconstantly\u201d. She said she had been fighting for residents living near her to have wheelie bins, rather than bags.<\/p>\n She said the rat issue in her area was \u201creally bad\u201d and during my visit, showed me holes in her back garden fences where rodents had chewed through.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t use the garden anymore,\u201d she said. \u201cWe can\u2019t leave the back door open on a nice night.<\/p>\n \u201cThe size of them, we thought it was a squirrel running round the back the other night.\u201d<\/p>\n Elsa previously argued the the council\u2019s \u201cblanket acceptance of HMOs\u201d had contributed to waste issues in Selly Oak.<\/p>\n Rubbish in Selly Oak, Birmingham on May 5 – two days before the local elections(Image: Alexander Brock)<\/p>\n But last year also saw concerns over rubbish escalate at the height of the bin strike in the spring of 2025.<\/p>\n \u201cThat was so bad,\u201d Elsa said, referring to the impact of the strike. \u201cThe smell was awful, it was a putrid smell.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked about the elections tomorrow, Thursday, May 7, she said: \u201cI voted Labour<\/a> before but I would not vote Labour again.<\/p>\n \u201cI was quite excited when Keir Starmer came in but they\u2019ve backtracked and made a bad situation worse.\u201d<\/p>\n On a nearby road black bin bags were said to pile up on a pavement on a weekly basis before being collected.<\/p>\n READ MORE:<\/strong> Rats, drugs and ‘brazen’ fly-tipping – reality of life in ‘rundown’ Birmingham area<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n One student, who wished to remain anonymous, said the bin strike had a huge impact on the neighbourhood last year and described the smell at the time as \u201creally bad\u201d.<\/p>\n Asked whether that situation would influence how he voted, he said: \u201cYes, that\u2019s the biggest concern I\u2019ve had with council services last year.\u201d<\/p>\n He also called on the council\u2019s future leadership to tackle safety in the Selly Oak area, saying: \u201cIt\u2019s dangerous to walk around here at night \u2013 people are being approached by men and followed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt doesn\u2019t feel very safe.\u201d<\/p>\n Anger over the state of the streets has been a recurring theme in Selly Oak, with resident Catherine Zinetti saying earlier this year that she was embarrassed to live in the area.<\/p>\n Catherine Zinetti(Image: Alexander Brock)<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s rats \u2013 they\u2019re bigger than the cats,\u201d she said. \u201cWhy should we have to pay petrol money to take the rubbish to the skip when we\u2019re paying our council tax?<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s horrible, you sit here and all you can see are rats going across the road.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re meant to be the second biggest city in England, it\u2019s a disgrace \u2013 absolutely disgusting.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re suffering \u2013 you walk down and it stinks, I\u2019m embarrassed to live around here.\u201d<\/p>\n She said she could not have her grandchildren visit due to the state of her street, adding: \u201cThat hurts me to the core.<\/p>\n \u201cAnyone who comes to see me, it\u2019s absolutely embarrassing and no fault of my own.\u201d<\/p>\n Henry Hutson(Image: Alexander Brock)<\/p>\n Henry Hutson, a student and a member of the Revolutionary Communist Party, added back in March that the impact of industrial action in Selly Oak had been \u201ccatastrophic\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThe streets have been littered with garbage, it\u2019s very unclean, it\u2019s not a good place for a student to live in,\u201d he said. \u201cWe need to fight back against the council who are completely shameful.\u201d<\/p>\n He said he was reminded of the Winter of Discontent in 1978 as rubbish piled up last spring.<\/p>\n \u201cBut even now the effects are still showing, my bins don\u2019t get taken every week, there\u2019s litter I\u2019ve sort of memorised on my walk to and from school,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s disgusting and no student should have to live in this.\u201d<\/p>\n READ MORE:<\/strong> Inside the ‘forgotten’ Birmingham estate where piles of bin strike rubbish loom large<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Asked about fears over rats in the area, he said: \u201cOf course, it\u2019s almost been kind of secondary though \u2013 we\u2019ve got used to it.\u201d<\/p>\n Thursday\u2019s elections will decide which party or coalition runs the city council for the next four years.<\/p>\n It comes at a critical moment for Birmingham<\/a>, which has been hit by the fallout of a financial crisis and the impacts of a bin strike.<\/p>\n Labour will be fighting to keep control of the council but will face opposition from the Conservatives<\/a>, Liberal Democrats<\/a>, Green Party<\/a>, Reform UK<\/a>, independents and more.<\/p>\n Coun John Cotton, leader of Birmingham Labour, announced last week that an end to the bins strike was finally \u201cwithin sight\u201d after an agreement was reached with Unite the union.<\/p>\n John Cotton, Labour(Image: Nick Wilkinson\/Birmingham Live)<\/p>\n But that update was met with scepticism and anger from opposition councillors, who described the announcement as \u2018desperate\u2019 and \u2018pathetic\u2019.<\/p>\n Birmingham-specific issues such as the Oracle and equal pay debacles contributed to the council\u2019s financial crisis while Labour figures have pointed the finger at \u2018austerity\u2019 measures brought during the Tories<\/a> \u2019 time in government.<\/p>\n Coun Cotton claimed earlier this year that the council had ditched the \u2018bankrupt Birmingham\u2019 tag after closing a \u00a3300 million budget gap.<\/p>\n On rubbish woes in Selly Oak, Coun Majid Mahmood, the council\u2019s cabinet member for environment, said in 2024: \u201cThe councillors for the area, for a very long time, have worked hard to engage with the community and stakeholders such as the Student Guild.<\/p>\n \u201cOur waste management team has also carried out various activities in the area in an attempt to encourage the positive behaviours that would end the local issues.<\/p>\n Birmingham local election 2026 Birmingham City Council House(Image: Nick Wilkinson\/Birmingham Live)<\/p>\n Brummies across the city will head to the polls on May 7 and decide who runs the local council in an election that comes at a critical time for Brum.<\/p>\n Birmingham City Council, one of the biggest local authorities in Europe, is responsible for waste collection, housing, libraries, road maintenance, social care and much more.<\/p>\n With the council embarking on a financial recovery journey and still dealing with a bins strike, this local election in May is a significant moment for Birmingham.<\/p>\n All 101 council seats across Brum will be contested \u2013 this means the election will decide who represents your area and which party or coalition runs the city council during the next four years at least.<\/p>\n We will be bringing you the latest news, opinion and polls covering the elections where you live as well as the wider picture across the UK.<\/p>\n All you need to know about May’s vote can be found here<\/a>. Our dedicated reporters for Birmingham City Council are Jane Haynes<\/a> and Alexander Brock<\/a>.<\/p>\n A full list of candidates can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cExisting regulations relating to HMOs can also play a part with such issues, and where we have evidence of waste offences that meet the legally-required threshold, we will not hesitate to prosecute.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Rubbish](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/0_WhatsApp-Image-2026-05-05-at-165809-1_censored.jpg\")
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<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/2_NWP_BEM_230426Hustings_31JPGjpgJohn-Cotton-Labour.jpg\")
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