06/06/2026
Birmingham Local Conservatives to Lead Scrutiny of Birmingham Council after coming second in the contest to be Leader of Birmingham City Council
At Birmingham City Council’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), the Conservative Group put itself forward to lead the Council, believing it possesses the experience, knowledge and skills needed to tackle Birmingham’s challenges, restore financial stability, clean up the city and provide the leadership residents deserve.
While Birmingham Local Conservatives, came second ahead of Reform in the vote for leader, they fell short of beating the ruling groups Lib Dem, Green, Better Birmingham Independents coalition. They will now be using their experience to lead the seven Overview and Scrutiny Committee Chair positions, placing the Local Conservative Group at the heart of holding the new Council administration to account.
The Conservatives were the first group to put forward an alternative proposal for the Council’s leadership after the Green-Lib Dem-Better Birmingham coalition. Reform UK entered the contest at the last minute, but was unable to even secure the support of all of its own group, with a split vote resulting in the Reform candidate finishing last despite Reform being the largest party on the Council.
Birmingham Local Conservatives have pledged to stand up for residents and provide comprehensive and constructive opposition following the outcome of the AGM.
These positions will ensure that the Local Conservatives, who collectively bring more than 180 years of experience on Birmingham City Council, lead the scrutiny of key decisions, challenge poor performance and ensure the interests of Birmingham residents remain at the forefront of the Council’s agenda.
The new Liberal Democrat-Green-Better Birmingham administration inherits a Council facing significant financial pressures, ongoing service challenges and the need for urgent reform.
In his speech to the chamber for the leadership vote, Cllr Robert Alden highlighted the scale of the issues facing Birmingham is simply too great to allow valuable time to be wasted. Residents expect action, transparency and results from day one. And that a Local Conservatives led Council would deliver our plan to clean up the city and save weekly bin collections, fix the pothole and end the strike.
Councillor Robert Alden (Con, Erdington), Leader of the Conservative Group, said:
“With over 180 years of local government experience within our Group, we put ourselves forward to lead Birmingham and deliver our plan to clean up both the city and the Council. We have the experience, knowledge and skills required to balance the books, restore confidence in local government and get Birmingham moving in the right direction again.
“While other parties did not support that proposition, we respect the outcome and will continue working all year round to put Birmingham residents first and hold the Council to account, just as we have done for the last 14 years.”
“By securing all seven Overview and Scrutiny Chair positions, we will be in a strong position to hold the new administration’s feet to the fire. We will use these roles to ensure decisions are properly scrutinised, performance is rigorously examined and Birmingham residents always come first.”
Councillor Alex Yip (Con, Sutton Wylde Green), Deputy Leader of the Conservative Group, said:
“Labour has left Birmingham facing enormous financial and service delivery challenges that require immediate attention. The new administration will need to start tackling these issues from day one.
“As the Opposition Group leading scrutiny, we will push for the Council to clean up the streets, resolve the bin strike without once again risking bankruptcy, fix Birmingham’s potholes and take stronger action against rogue landlords.
“The AGM also demonstrated the importance of experience and unity in local government. Reform UK entered the leadership contest at the last minute, instead of backing the Local Conservatives to run Birmingham City Council. Reform were unable to even secure the support of their own group and finished last in the vote despite being the Council’s largest party. Birmingham residents need serious leadership focused on delivering results, not political posturing and division.”
Birmingham Local Conservatives remain committed to providing serious and effective opposition focused on improving services, restoring financial discipline, holding the administration to account and ensuring the Council delivers better outcomes for communities across Birmingham.
