Reform UK MP Lee Anderson has demanded that Birmingham Council "sack some of the councillors" to support striking refuse workers, as the city's bin crisis continues to escalate.
Birmingham City Council declared a major incident on Monday, with an estimated 17,000 tonnes of waste now littering the streets.
Strikes by the Unite Union workers began in March over pay and job cuts, with no resolution in sight, and workers currently facing an £8,000 pay cut.
Discussing the crisis on GB News, Lee Anderson demanded the council's wages are cut in order to pay the refuse workers, stating the ongoing situation is "not good enough".
Anderson told the People's Channel: "Since we got back to Parliament, I've asked loads of questions in there and I've never had a straight answer yet.
"Look at this council - you've got a council leader earning £71,000 a year, you've got a chief exec earning £260,000 a year, you've got a council that's £3billion in debt - and what what are the taxpayers in Birmingham getting?
"They've got 17,000 tonnes of rubbish on their street, they've got rats the size of cats patrolling the streets, they've taken over the city, and one of these rats has attacked a resident in Birmingham. It's simply not good enough."
Offering a solution to the crisis, Anderson demanded that the Birmingham authority "sack some of the councillors" on the high wages and "pay that to the workers".
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
Anderson explained: "These people are running this council, the wage bill for the council alone, I think it's to £2.3million a year.
"I've got a simple solution - sack some of these councillors, half their pay, and give that to the bin men."
Delivering his verdict on the city's strike, host Martin Daubney branded the situation an "international embarrassment".
He fumed: "The unholy spectacle of people in Britain chasing a bin lorry, this is the first one they've seen in weeks.
"It's a total, I think, international embarrassment, and this is a Labour Council."
Putting the question to the House of Commons, Anderson pressed Labour Minister Jim McMahon on when the rubbish will be cleared from Birmingham's streets.
McMahon assured the MPs: "We both share the intention and the ambition that as soon as possible, there should not be any further delay in reaching an agreement when it's quite clear with the volume of waste that's being collected, that is proven to be a waste added.
"And he will know with his background as a councillor, that is for the council, as a local employer, to resolve this with the trade unions by agreement. And that's what we want."
Find Out More...
Birmingham City Council declared a major incident on Monday, with an estimated 17,000 tonnes of waste now littering the streets.
Strikes by the Unite Union workers began in March over pay and job cuts, with no resolution in sight, and workers currently facing an £8,000 pay cut.
Discussing the crisis on GB News, Lee Anderson demanded the council's wages are cut in order to pay the refuse workers, stating the ongoing situation is "not good enough".
Anderson told the People's Channel: "Since we got back to Parliament, I've asked loads of questions in there and I've never had a straight answer yet.
"Look at this council - you've got a council leader earning £71,000 a year, you've got a chief exec earning £260,000 a year, you've got a council that's £3billion in debt - and what what are the taxpayers in Birmingham getting?
"They've got 17,000 tonnes of rubbish on their street, they've got rats the size of cats patrolling the streets, they've taken over the city, and one of these rats has attacked a resident in Birmingham. It's simply not good enough."
Offering a solution to the crisis, Anderson demanded that the Birmingham authority "sack some of the councillors" on the high wages and "pay that to the workers".
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
- Angela Rayner has NO plans to deploy army to deal with Birmingham bin strike health crisis
- Birmingham labelled 'health hazard as major incident turns city into 'international laughing stock'
- 'Incompetent!' Corbynista MP blasts Keir Starmer over Labour's Birmingham bin strike failure
Anderson explained: "These people are running this council, the wage bill for the council alone, I think it's to £2.3million a year.
"I've got a simple solution - sack some of these councillors, half their pay, and give that to the bin men."
Delivering his verdict on the city's strike, host Martin Daubney branded the situation an "international embarrassment".
He fumed: "The unholy spectacle of people in Britain chasing a bin lorry, this is the first one they've seen in weeks.
"It's a total, I think, international embarrassment, and this is a Labour Council."
Putting the question to the House of Commons, Anderson pressed Labour Minister Jim McMahon on when the rubbish will be cleared from Birmingham's streets.
McMahon assured the MPs: "We both share the intention and the ambition that as soon as possible, there should not be any further delay in reaching an agreement when it's quite clear with the volume of waste that's being collected, that is proven to be a waste added.
"And he will know with his background as a councillor, that is for the council, as a local employer, to resolve this with the trade unions by agreement. And that's what we want."
Find Out More...