Britain’s largest council declares itself effectively bankrupt | UK News

Birmingham City Council has declared itself bankrupt.

Europe’s largest local authority confirmed in a statement on Tuesday that it can no longer balance its books.

It said all new council spending in the city, with the exception of protecting vulnerable people and statutory services, must stop immediately.

The council said ‘it does not have the resources’ to fund its equal pay liability, and has an £87m gap in its current budget.

A spokesperson for the Labour-run authority said the council had issued a Section 114 notice, which means a local authority has judged itself to be in financial distress and can no longer balance its budget.

Sharon Thompson, deputy leader of Birmingham City Council, told councillors at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning that the notice was a ‘necessary step as we seek to get our city back on sound financial footing’.

She said: ‘I want to stress that despite the significant challenges that we face, we will prioritise core services that our residents rely on in line with our values of supporting the most vulnerable in this city.

‘Birmingham City Council faces longstanding issues, including the council’s historic equal pay liability concerns and the implementation of the Oracle ERP system which have been compounded by the reality that Birmingham had £1 billion of funding taken away by successive Conservative governments.

‘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.

‘Whilst the council is facing significant challenges, the city is very much still open for business and we’re welcoming people as they come along.’

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’.

In a statement, he said: ‘Labour’s failure in Birmingham has become clear for all to see, what Labour pledged was a golden decade ahead to voters in 2022 turns out to be based on budgets in 20/21 and 21/22 that did not balance and were unfunded.

‘Combined with Birmingham Labour’s refusal to deal with equal pay over the last decade this has created this mess where residents will now lose valuable services and investment.’

He added: ‘Birmingham Labour have no grip on their mess and no ability to fix it, hence why the final say on spending control has now been removed from the Labour political leadership.’

The first section 114 notice was issued by Hackney Council in 2000, with Northamptonshire County Council following suit in 2018.

Downing Street acknowledged that Birmingham City Council having declared itself in financial distress will be ‘concerning’ for residents.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: ‘Clearly local government is vital to our communities and we know they have been facing pressures.

‘The Government for its part has stepped in to provide support, an additional £5.1 billion to councils in 23/24, which is more than a 9% increase for Birmingham City Council.

‘Clearly it’s for locally elected councils to manage their own budgets, I know the department has been engaging regularly with them to that end and has expressed concern about their governance arrangements and has requested assurances from the leader of the council about the best use of taxpayers’ money.’

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’.

‘It will be concerning for the people of Birmingham and it is important that the council provide reassurance and deliver on what has been requested by the department,’ the spokesman added.

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