Andy Street said it was not for him to conduct an inquisition ‘however severely there needs to be one’ after Birmingham City Council’s…
Birmingham “deserves so much better”, West Midlands Mayor Andy Street has said, after the city council declared it was effectively bankrupt due to a £760 million bill for equal pay claims.
“I stood ready to support and help once that plan had been produced, irrespective of political colours. However, more than two months on, no plan has emerged. A council spokesman said they are also faced with an in-year financial gap in its budget which currently stands in the region of £87 million. “Local government is facing a perfect storm. Like councils across the country, it is clear that this council faces unprecedented financial challenges, from huge increases in adult social care demand and dramatic reductions in business rates incomes, to the impact of rampant inflation.”
Mr Street said it was not for him to conduct an inquisition, “however severely there needs to be one”. “I will work tirelessly with ministers, government officials and, of course, the city council themselves to try and resolve this situation in a way that shields residents, their pockets, their services and their futures.
“Birmingham remains firmly open for business. However bad today’s announcement, I will play my part to ensure the city gets through this.”Leader of the Conservative opposition Robert Alden said it was “cloud cuckoo land” to say Birmingham’s problems are being replicated across the country and the situation was “embarrassing for this great city”.
Birmingham Liberal Democrats said in a statement on their website that the situation was a “failure of Titanic proportions”. Downing Street earlier acknowledged that Birmingham City Council having declared itself in financial distress will be “concerning” for residents. He acknowledged Birmingham has a “particular issue around equal pay settlements” and said ministers have “commissioned an independent governance review which will report in the coming weeks”.
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