Overview
- A 65ft (20m) Christmas tree and market stalls were erected in Victoria Square in late October as preparations for Birmingham’s Frankfurt Christmas Market progressed.
- The market is scheduled to open on November 1 and run until Christmas Eve, explaining the early installation timeline.
- Residents and social media users objected to the timing, citing uncollected rubbish and saying the display arrives before Halloween and Bonfire Night.
- Refuse workers represented by Unite have been on strike since March over pay and jobs, contributing to persistent bin collection problems.
- Unite’s Sharon Graham linked the strike to council financial mismanagement, while the council said a recent equal pay settlement’s cost fits within an exceptional government support package agreed in January 2024.