![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.eyeonmoseley.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/20260422_191504-1-scaled.jpg?ssl=1\")
<\/a>We\u2019re back with a hustings report. It\u2019s no exaggeration to say that this is likely to be one of the most consequential Council elections that Birmingham has seen in over 20 years. As a result, you\u2019d expect no holding back as candidates play for what is the highest-stakes game in local government, control of one of the largest local authorities in Europe. If this is what you are expecting, please manage your disappointment now.<\/p>\nWe gathered at the The Shires \u201cLuxury\u201d retirement home. A shining monument to private equity\u2019s desire to feast on the property wealth of a gullible post-war generation, who are going to be very surprised when they sell their flats to pay for their own care. A cleverer person would be able to make a connection with Birmingham\u2019s perilous political situation.<\/p>\n
In surprise hustings news, we had a new Chair this year. Jane (I don\u2019t know who Jane is). No more David Isgrove, no more questions from the Chair, just solid chairing.<\/p>\n
As is the custom, the candidates began with their opening statements. Because we have this stupid system where we elect two candidates now, it means the Green Party, Labour and Lib Dems each put up two people for the hustings. Other parties couldn\u2019t be bothered, and, in many ways, I thank them.<\/p>\n
Ayyub Ali \u2013 Green<\/strong> \u2013 We all remember the days when the Green candidate either didn\u2019t turn up or turned up late with an elaborate excuse about traffic. Not this year. Both candidates were bang on time. Ayyub lives in Stirchley, is a Domestic Abuse worker and wants to crack down on private spending in the Council.<\/p>\n He\u2019s not mucking about with reasons why we should vote for him, and does not need 90 seconds to make his case.<\/p>\n Gwaza Mabhena – Labour\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 Gwaza has lived in Birmingham since he was 13. He trained with Moseley Rugby Club and does youth work with his church. He has heard that people are now coming to Moseley because we have a train.<\/p>\n There we go 7:22 pm, and the first mention of the train. We started at 7:15 pm, so this isn\u2019t as tardy as other years. At this point, you could see the sad look in the candidates\u2019 eyes as they realised this is the first hustings in twenty-five years where they couldn\u2019t promise us a train.<\/p>\n Izzy Knowles \u2013 Lib Dems<\/strong> \u2013 Izzy made a nice tribute to Kerry Jenkins, our Councillor, who sadly passed away last year. Izzy also gave us a detailed list of things she has done for us over the last 4 years. It was extensive. Much of it is a result of services being cut and all that.<\/p>\n Oliver<\/span> Ollie Ashton\u00a0 – Green<\/strong> \u2013 Oliver thinks we should call him Ollie (Olly?), I\u2019m fine with that.\u00a0 Ollie is fed up with \u201cRip off Britain\u201d and \u201cRip off Birmingham\u201d \u2013 he didn\u2019t explain what this means. He thinks a better Birmingham can exist, and he wants climate change that cuts bills. It wasn\u2019t clear if he was advocating for climate change or if it was just the type of climate change.<\/p>\n Philip Mills \u2013 Lib Dems <\/strong>\u2013 Philip has been our Councillor since last year and has noticed that it takes time to \u201cget into\u201d the Council and Moseley. He wants to bring services closer to us.<\/p>\n Stephen Pihlaja \u2013 Labour<\/strong> \u2013 Stephen also paid tribute to Kerry. He has been doing a lot of door-knocking, and people have been telling him what concerns them. He\u2019s worked in community organising for ten years and wants to bring everyone together.<\/p>\n Does The Shires Luxury Retirement Home have a room big enough for us all to come together?<\/p>\n Then we had questions. We had a lot of questions. We had twenty-one questions. Mercifully answered by one representative from each party, but it was a lot.<\/p>\n Most of the questions were along the lines of \u201cAs a Councillor, what would you do to change this thing that isn\u2019t really anything to do with the Council?\u201d So, I\u2019m going to be selective, and I\u2019m going to paraphrase.<\/p>\n Question \u2013 What is the most important problem for the Council?<\/strong><\/p>\n Philip (LD) told us that Labour have bankrupted the Council twice in the last 20 years, and it comes down to the failed IT system.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve tried and I cannot recall the other time Labour bankrupted the Council. Does anyone have any idea what he is talking about?<\/p>\n Oliver<\/span> Ollie (G)<\/strong> said the biggest problem is Labour. Zinger. He posed the question, \u201cWithout Labour, would the Council be bankrupt?\u201d He also said that part of the problem is that the Council makes tough decisions about the most vulnerable and never about the areas with the most money.<\/p>\n We all looked a little guilty, realising that we are the \u201careas with the most money\u201d.<\/p>\n Gwaza (L)<\/strong> told us housing is a problem, and young people can\u2019t afford houses.<\/p>\n Question \u2013 How will we settle the bin strike? Plus, how will you clean up the city?<\/strong><\/p>\n Ayyub (G)<\/strong> told us there was no magic solution. There should be more negotiation with the Union. To clean the city, we need more bins, and we need to do more litter picking.<\/p>\n Stephen (L)<\/strong> suggested that we need rubbish collections to go back to how they used to be. Which isn\u2019t exactly a high bar. He also made the point that people keep talking about the Council\u2019s need to be financially responsible, but we also need to meet the bin people\u2019s demands.<\/p>\n