City left in holding pattern of criticism, threats and promises
IT SEEMS that Birmingham City Council has been on the Government watchlist forever – and surely this state of affairs cannot continue.
It is almost two years since Kerslake’s incendiary report landed and confirmed we have a dysfunctional local authority which has trouble coping with change, thinks it is better than other agencies and sectors and lacks a vision for the future.
At the time, minister Eric Pickles said they had a year to sort it all out or the Government would take over.
His blueprint for change has been mostly followed – we have a raft of new senior managers who have been appointed to transform the council from a 20th century bureaucracy into a modern agile organisation fit for the era of social media, partnership working and austerity.
Yet two years in and there is little evidence the recovery is on the way.
The key shift according to the Birmingham Independent Improvement Panel is that last year the political leadership (ie Sir Albert Bore) was at fault.
But his replacement has led to a new target and now chief executive Mark Rogers and his officer corps are in the line of fire over the slow progress and inability to stick to a budget.
These officers are particularly being blamed for failing to do a promised money-saving social care deal with the NHS.
But departments are still working in silos and outsiders are not seeing the new dawn in partnership working fast enough.
Aside from this, the leadership is having to cope with an unprecedented level of cuts since 2010 and these look set to continue for another four years at least.
Libraries are now being closed, binmen have been dismissed and anything that can be is being sold off or contracted out. The only growth area has been the consultants lawyers and accountants advising on the cuts.
These last few weeks, council leader Clancy and his team have been turning their attention to the 2017/18 cuts and sketchy reports from those meetings suggest it hasn’t been pretty.
Bubbling away beneath the surface is the political rat run as councillors prepare themselves for a cut and the reshaping of boundaries – it’s like a game of musical chairs where no one wants to be left without a safe seat when the music stops.
So we are in this perpetual holding pattern of periodic criticism, threat and promises to try harder next time.
And some may wonder why – with Mr Pickles’ 12-month deadline long since passed – the Government has not stepped in. Well, quite honestly, who would want to take over this mess?
We are in this perpetual holding pattern of periodic criticism, threat and promises to try harder next time
FAIR play to Councillor Gareth Moore for refusing to stand by while the city’s streets are littered with fly posters. They are illegal, unsightly, cost taxpayers money to remove and can block lines of sight on the road side.
We’ve all seen them advertising club nights, festivals, cheap blinds, fitted kitchens and laptop repairs.
After polite requests to businesses to stops, and getting nowhere through the usual channels he found a back door to enforcement through the licensing regime.
And after calling an official review of nightclubs and pubs, many have now agreed to strict conditions which require them to control their advertisers or face further sanctions.
Now if only someone can find a way to get rid of posters from unlicensed businesses.