Birmingham is at a turning point. After years of Labour failure, a sense of frustration is palpable across the city. A year-long bin strike, which has left streets filthy and strewn with litter, combined with bankruptcy and council tax increases of 24% over 3 years have left residents fed up and looking for an alternative to the failed Labour administration. This widespread discontent has created a unique opportunity for the Lib Dems to provide the leadership that residents are crying out for. With all 101 Birmingham City Council seats up for election on May the 7th, we have the opportunity to make this a reality. 

As a member of Sutton Coldfield local party in Birmingham, I’ve witnessed first-hand voters turning away from Labour and the Conservatives. When Steve Darling MP visited us recently, he found scores of residents looking for an alternative and expressing their support for the Liberal Democrats. They are tired of being let down by failures in local and national government, and they see in us a party that champions local communities. 

Our candidates across the city are finding that the tide is changing towards us and this isn’t just anecdotal. In October we gained a seat from Labour in the Moseley by-election. This win sends a message to the electorate – that the Liberal Democrats are capable of taking on Labour and winning. 

Our leader, Sir Ed Davey, emphasized this last week when he visited Birmingham for the launch of our manifesto stating:

Birmingham Labour has let local residents down badly. Their catastrophic mismanagement has bankrupted the Council and left streets in a mess. It’s time for change in Birmingham, and it’s the Liberal Democrats who have a positive alternative. From cleaning up the city following the endless bin strikes, to cracking down on unsafe driving on our roads and ending the housing shortage that is affecting too many, we have a real plan to deliver for local families. Birmingham deserves better than the extremes of the right and left, whose point-scoring would only spell disaster for our city. A vote for the Liberal Democrats on 7 May is a vote for a local champion who will get things done.

To truly capitalise on this momentum, the path forward is clear. It is imperative that we are on the ground, delivering leaflets and knocking on doors to cement ourselves in the minds of the voters. Our candidates are out talking to residents, listening to concerns, sharing our solutions, and showing that the Liberal Democrats are the competent and ambitious choice to right Labour’s mistakes in Birmingham. But we need your help on the ground to seize this moment and deliver the change Birmingham so desperately needs.

If you can help then please visit our website: Birmingham Liberal Democrats

* Jenny is a member of Sutton Coldfield local party in Birmingham, a former candidate for Kenilworth and Southam 2024, West Midlands Mayoral candidate 2021, and MEP candidate for the West Midlands in 2019.