Friends of the Earth
Action Briefing June /July 1999
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Birmingham Friends of the Earth Action Briefing June /July 1999 |
On Thursday May 6th those that could be bothered elected the new Birmingham City Council. There was not much change with Labour losing a net four seats two to the Tories and two to independents. Labour however remain massively the largest party. So a smiling Teresa Stewart was seen in the Birmingham Post. The council leader had ensured that the predicted Tory fight back stalled at the start and the Tories dream of ruling Brum in 2000 is looking unrealistic.
However, no sooner had we put the paper down but the first edition of the Mail ran with "Leader Challenged." So after five and a half years Teresa Stewart's rule was on the line. A secret meeting on Saturday morning decided Teresa's fate and none other than Albert Bore was back at the heart of Birmingham politics. Bore has been around Birmingham for years and is no lover of things Green. Way back in the early nineties he was in favour of more big roads in the South of the City. He wants to put Birmingham "on the map" and is said to still be interested in transport; well, it better be public transport, Albert. His deputy is Andy Howell who way back in 1993 helped to establish the councils environmental forum. So what does the new team think of GM food in kids' school meals, a waste resources strategy for the City, or reducing energy consumption in the City?
The council is also streamlining its committee structure with four super-committees; Policy and Resources (Andy Howell, Chair), Community Services (Doug McCarrick), Urban and Economic Regeneration (Gerard Coyne) and Environmental Management (Margaret Wells). The environment forum stays and will be chaired by Margaret Holmes.
So a new era has arrived; we shall have to ensure that it is an environmental era. On May 17th the new agenda was laid out with plans for a new city centre park, improved educational facilities in the inner suburbs, a public transport system to be proud of and a 1,000 Citizens Panel amongst other plans to make Birmingham "the place to be." We will track these developments with interest.