Overview

• Craig Cooper stepped down as Birmingham City Council’s Strategic Director of City Operations in April and has moved to Brisbane, where he denies involvement in the 2032 Olympic plans.
• His relocation follows the collapse of Acas-mediated negotiations, leaving interim director Richard Brookes to manage mounting piles of uncollected waste.
• Council leaders have threatened compulsory redundancies for bin lorry drivers after talks to end the strike over equal-pay and role cuts fell through in July.
• Unite suspended its partnership with the council and imposed suspensions on Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and Birmingham Labour councillors for backing the strike stance.
• The strike began over the axing of the Waste Recycling and Collection Officer role and continued pandemic-era ‘task and finish’ protocols that triggered equal-pay claims.