Birmingham’s new lead commissioner, Tony McArdle, has stepped into a challenging role amid a mounting waste crisis caused by a long-running bins strike, all while owning a boutique selling luxury homeware with his wife. The £1,200-a-day chief commissioner was appointed this week to help steer the cash-strapped Birmingham City Council through troubled waters, but reports have surfaced revealing his directorship in Santa Maria, a company offering high-end wellbeing products.
Santa Maria, co-owned by McArdle and his wife through Priora Consulting Ltd, sells an array of posh home goods including £46 scented candles named Berry Voyage and Rose Republic, £28 lanterns, £43 gemstone lights, and £45 throws. The boutique’s wellbeing section features items like £79 purity paste, £18 vanilla afterglow solid perfume balm, and £70 wake-up droplets. Notably, some of these products, including the candles, vanished from the shop’s website shortly after being highlighted this week.
The Berry Voyage candle is described as “sensual and heady,” evoking “intrepid expeditions in the Adriatic, arboretum gardens and coastal reveries,” with fresh notes of sun-ripened fruit berries, green Sichuan pepper berries, and exotic Stargazer lily petals, balanced by purifying Palo Santo. The boutique’s social media earlier this year promoted itself as a destination where “timeless elegance meets modern wellbeing,” offering “European-inspired kimonos, artisan skincare, hand-poured candles, and stylish sunglasses” for “elevated living.”
Meanwhile, Birmingham grapples with a worsening waste crisis. Since March 2025, members of the Unite union have been on an all-out strike over pay disputes, leading to rubbish piling up across the city’s streets. Fly-tipping reports have nearly doubled, stretching enforcement teams to their limits. Residents have been forced to endure the stench from overflowing bins, with some resorting to wrapping extra bags around already-bagged rubbish to contain the smell.
One resident told the BBC, “My neighbour can't open her windows because the piles of rubbish are near where she lives, and the flies, it's a fly-fest.” Another added, “We have to hold our nose every time we step out [of the house].” The situation was exacerbated by a heatwave in June 2025, which intensified the foul odors and the volume of waste.
Birmingham City Council declared effective bankruptcy in 2023, prompting government commissioners to take over its management. Tony McArdle’s appointment as lead commissioner aims to accelerate the council’s recovery. He brings extensive experience, having served as Lead Commissioner in Nottingham, Chair of the London Borough of Croydon Improvement and Assurance Panel, and Chief Executive roles in Lincolnshire County Council and Wellingborough Council.
A council spokesperson praised McArdle as “a well-respected figure in local government” and expressed optimism about maintaining momentum during the transition. The council also highlighted that since securing a court order on May 23, 2025, to prevent picketers from blocking depot vehicles, contingency plans have enabled waste collection to resume once a week, clearing the initial backlog caused by the strike.
Addressing concerns about his business interests, Mr. McArdle clarified, “Alongside my wife, I am listed as the director of a small business based in Lincoln. This is my wife’s business, and I am not involved in its day-to-day operation.”
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government also weighed in, stating, “Tony McArdle OBE brings a range of experience to the role of lead commissioner at Birmingham City Council, having been a well-respected council chief executive who also led interventions at other authorities.” The department affirmed it has “established processes in place to manage conflicts of interests” and expressed confidence that McArdle “is the best person for this role and will make a significant contribution to Birmingham’s ongoing improvement.”
They further emphasized that supporting the council’s recovery and assisting with “successful efforts to keep the city’s streets clean amid the ongoing industrial action” remain top priorities.
As Birmingham faces the dual challenges of financial insolvency and a public health nuisance from uncollected rubbish, McArdle’s leadership will be closely watched. The juxtaposition of his high-profile role in managing the city’s crisis with his connection to a luxury boutique selling scented candles has drawn public curiosity and scrutiny.
While the council insists the waste backlog has been cleared and collections stabilized, residents continue to contend with the aftermath of months of industrial action. The strike’s impact on daily life illustrates the complex interplay between local governance, labor disputes, and community wellbeing.
McArdle’s appointment underscores the government’s commitment to restoring order and fiscal stability to Birmingham, a city once heralded for its industrial might but now navigating some of its toughest challenges in recent memory. Whether his experience and steady hand can turn the tide remains to be seen, but for now, Birmingham’s streets and its citizens await relief from the mounting refuse and the stench that has become an unwelcome hallmark of the city’s summer.
