The ruling Labour Administration at Birmingham City Council, who previously announced they have run up a £867 million equal pay bill and spent over £130 million on a botched IT finance system rollout that is still not working and is costing £500,000 a month to balance the accounts manually, are set to face their first election test following the resignation of Cllr Brigid Jones.
Residents will now have the chance to send a message to the Labour-run Council about how they have to start getting a grip of the mess they have created in a by-election.
Birmingham Local Conservatives have selected retired local GP Dr Andrew Hardie to stand up for residents of Bournbrook and Selly Park.
Dr Andrew Hardie is a retired GP who served locally for over 30 years in South Birmingham. Currently, Andrew is Chairman of the Lapal Canal Trust, Chairman of the Birmingham Crisis Centre and a committee member of the Stonehouse Gang (a youth charity). Andrew is also an experienced former Councillor, having already served the city as an opposition Councillor and served 3 years as Deputy Chairman of the Health and Social Care Scrutiny Committee.
Andrew said
I am passionate about helping residents, working to protect the character of our suburbs and for a cleaner city. If elected I will be holding the Council to account to ensure the services residents rely upon are protected.
Andrew has a record of action locally, having campaigned to get local graffiti cleaned up; to make local roads safer for pedestrians, cyclists, and cars - for example, demanding potholes in Oakfield Road and Bournbrook Road be repaired -; and for Selly Oak and Stirchley Libraries to be saved.
With no city-wide elections this year, control of the Council cannot change. Whatever the result this year, the Council locally will remain Labour-run - but a defeat for Labour would send a strong message to stop their double whammy of higher taxes for fewer services.
As the Conservatives finished above the Liberal Democrats at the last elections in 2022, the best way to send a message to the Labour Council on May 2nd about the state of Birmingham City Council is by voting for Dr Andrew Hardie and Birmingham Local Conservatives.
