Pollsters Electoral Calculus and Find Out Now have run a poll for the Sunday Mirror across Britain regarding the ongoing Birmingham bin strike which started one month ago today.
Fieldwork was conducted from 7–9 February 2025, with a sample size of 2,000. Respondents were asked a series of questions about the strike action.
The main findings are:
Below you can find a results breakdown for each question of the poll and what the data conveys.
Q1. "City of Birmingham bin workers have been on strike since 11 March. Who do you blame for the ongoing bin strike in Birmingham?"
| Response | All voters | LAB | CON | Reform | West Mids |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham City Council | 22% | 25% | 21% | 27% | 29% |
| Bin workers' union | 10% | 5% | 28% | 11% | 18% |
| UK Government | 14% | 14% | 6% | 15% | 10% |
| Bankruptcy of Birmingham following huge equal pay claims | 9% | 11% | 13% | 12% | 14% |
| None of these | 2% | 3% | 1% | 3% | 2% |
| Don't know | 44% | 43% | 31% | 32% | 27% |
The ongoing Birmingham bin strike has sparked debate over who is most to blame.
Voters overall blame the council first (22pc), the UK Government second (14pc), and the union third (10pc). People in the West Midlands, who have been following the issue more closely, also blame the council most (29pc) but put the union as second-most to blame (18pc). Conservative voters take a different stance and point the finger at the union, the council, and Birmingham's bankruptcy in that order.
There were also a large number of people who replied "Don't know" to this question (44pc), though this number was predictably lower in the West Midlands area.
Q2. "Do you support or oppose the strike of the bin workers in Birmingham?"
| Response | All voters | LAB | CON | Reform | West Mids |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Support strongly | 9% | 11% | 3% | 10% | 8% |
| Support | 18% | 27% | 7% | 14% | 14% |
| Neither support nor oppose | 23% | 23% | 29% | 30% | 25% |
| Oppose | 10% | 7% | 20% | 12% | 19% |
| Oppose strongly | 9% | 3% | 24% | 13% | 17% |
| Don't know | 32% | 29% | 17% | 22% | 16% |
| Net support | 27% | 38% | 10% | 24% | 22% |
| Net oppose | 18% | 10% | 44% | 25% | 36% |
More people nationally support than oppose the Birmingham bin strike by a margin to 27-18, with 55pc neutral or uncertain. But this also varies by political attitude and whether or not you have to live with it. Within the West Midlands, there is more opposition than support, by 36-22, with fewer don't knows.
When it comes to what voters of different parties believe, Labour voters are fairly supportive (38pc for), Conservative voters are fairly opposed (44pc against), and Reform voters are split 25-24 against.Q3. "Do you agree or disagree that the UK government should step in to clear up Birmingham's streets?"
| Response | All voters | LAB | CON | Reform | West Mids |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strongly agree | 24% | 23% | 20% | 31% | 28% |
| Agree | 33% | 40% | 34% | 30% | 39% |
| Neither agree nor disagree | 9% | 9% | 12% | 7% | 6% |
| Disagree | 7% | 4% | 16% | 11% | 11% |
| Strongly disagree | 3% | 1% | 7% | 5% | 4% |
| Don't know | 24% | 22% | 11% | 15% | 13% |
| Net agree | 57% | 63% | 54% | 62% | 67% |
| Net disagree | 10% | 5% | 23% | 16% | 14% |
There is broad support from voters for the UK government to step in to clear up Birmingham's streets. Labour Party voters show the strongest backing, with 63pc agreeing and only 5pc against. Even amongst Conservative voters, 54pc agree with 23pc against. Interestingly, Reform UK voters were also keen for the government to step in, with 62pc in favour and 16pc against.
Support is also strong across all regions in the UK, particularly in the West Midlands, where the strike is most directly felt with 67pc agreeing and only 14pc against. While levels vary slightly, every region shows more agreement than disagreement, suggesting a nationwide consensus that the UK government has a role to play in resolving the crisis and addressing the impact on public services.
Q4. "Do you think your own council does a good or bad job at collecting waste in your area? "
| Response | All voters | LAB | CON | Reform | West Mids |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Very good | 19% | 19% | 29% | 24% | 18% |
| Good | 44% | 49% | 50% | 38% | 43% |
| Neither good nor bad | 16% | 13% | 12% | 18% | 17% |
| Bad | 8% | 8% | 4% | 11% | 11% |
| Very bad | 3% | 3% | 2% | 2% | 4% |
| Don't know | 12% | 9% | 3% | 7% | 8% |
| Net good | 62% | 68% | 78% | 62% | 61% |
| Net bad | 11% | 11% | 6% | 13% | 14% |
Across the UK, most people believe their local council is doing a good job when it comes to waste collection. Just 11pc of all respondents rated their service as bad or very bad, suggesting strong overall satisfaction with how bins are managed. Even in regions currently facing disruption such as the West Midlands, perceptions remain largely positive, with 18pc describing the service that their local council provides as very good and 42pc as good.
By political affiliation, Conservative voters are the most satisfied with their local waste collection, with 79pc rating it good or very good. Labour voters also express confidence, with 68pc satisfaction. Liberal Democrat and Reform UK voters show similarly strong satisfaction levels.
Looking across the regions, the East of England leads in positive responses, with 71pc appreciative. Even areas like Yorkshire and the Humber, where only 11pc rated the service very good, still have a solid 43pc describing it as good. These figures suggest that while local issues like the Birmingham bin strike continue, trust in day-to-day waste collection remains strong across the country.
Q5. "Councils spend around £35 each year to collect waste from a typical household. Would you support or oppose privatising bin collection services, to be run by businesses not councils?"
| Response | All voters | LAB | CON | Reform | West Mids |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strongly support | 2% | 2% | 3% | 5% | 2% |
| Support | 6% | 5% | 7% | 7% | 6% |
| Neither support nor oppose | 16% | 13% | 19% | 20% | 22% |
| Oppose | 23% | 24% | 28% | 21% | 21% |
| Oppose strongly | 32% | 39% | 30% | 33% | 33% |
| Don't know | 22% | 18% | 14% | 14% | 16% |
| Net support | 8% | 7% | 10% | 13% | 8% |
| Net oppose | 55% | 63% | 57% | 54% | 54% |
When faced with the option to privatise bin collection services, the British public voted strongly against the idea. More than half of all respondents (55pc) say they oppose handing over responsibility to private businesses, signalling strong support for keeping waste collection in public hands.
Opposition to privatising bin collection services is clear across all political affiliations. A majority of respondents from each party base are firmly against the idea, with Labour Party voters 63pc against. Conservative and Reform voters have attitudes similar to the national average on thie question, and are also clearly against privatisation. Green Party voters are the most strongly opposed, with 75pc opposed.
Despite the current upheaval in Birmingham, the majority of residents across the West Midlands (54pc) oppose privatisation.
Martin Baxter, CEO of Electoral Calculus, said: "The ongoing bin strike in Birmingham has clearly struck a nerve across the West Midlands, with more residents opposed to the strike than supportive of it. Remarkably, voters both in the West Midlands and nationally think the Labour government should step in to clear up Birmingham's streets. While Keir Starmer probably didn't dream of becoming the nation's chief bin collector, the public's appetite for government intervention might force that role upon him."
Find Out Now polled 2,000 GB adults online between 7-9 April 2025. The sample was weighted to be representative by gender, age, social grade, other demographics and past voting patterns.
Find Out Now and Electoral Calculus are both members of the British Polling Council and abide by its rules.
Data tables for this poll are available here.
Electoral Calculus is a pollster and political consultancy specialising in quantitative analysis and modelling for electoral and other market research projects. It has successfully predicted UK general elections since 2010. It was founded by Martin Baxter, its CEO.
Electoral Calculus is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules, and is a company partner of the Market Research Society.
Find Out Now is a polling and market research panel with 2.8 million members. Highly profiled respondents can be targeted instantly, with over 100,000 daily responses allowing the delivery of same-day nationally representative sampling.
Find Out Now are a member of the British Polling Council and abide by its rules, and are a company partner of the Market Research Society.