Birmingham taxpayers bung unions £1 million

Bankrupt Birmingham Council has smashed the £1 million trade-union time-off barrier.

In the 2024-25 financial year, taxpayers allowed 60 employees to spend more than half their working hours on union work at a cost of £1,099,124.66. The year before, it was 46 people and £777,412.

This increase in union activity at the taxpayers’ expense comes even though there is no end in sight to the bin dispute with the Unite union.

Meanwhile, as the council spends millions so we can all get on our bikes, it’s not above paying its staff’s parking fines for them.

In November, the taxpayer paid out £420 in parking fines via council credit cards. In fact, the council has paid at least £25,000 in employees’ parking fines since April 2021 though that’s probably an under-estimate as not all such payments are recorded as ‘penalty charge notices’.

And taxpayers are now on the hook for electric cars as well.

According to the council’s own credit card data, taxpayers were charged £4,920 for topping up electric vehicles – even though they were also billed £4,246 for council old bangers polluting its clean air zone.

All this driving around is clearly necessary – last month the council’s well-travelled credit cards forked out over £11,000 at hotels as far afield as Kensington, Ealing, Manchester and Oxford.

But it seems odd the council is pursuing its war on the motorist (£540,000 for speed bumps last month) while allowing its own staff to park where they want, drive what they like and motor wherever they choose. Maybe on union business.