Apologies offered for crippling cuts as ‘little goes untouched’

BIRMINGHAM City Council has unveiled its budget for the year ahead this week – and it makes devastating reading.

More than £150 million of cuts are set for this year and another £150m next year.

Bin collections will go fortnightly in the city after all – but not just yet. Weekly collections will go as part of a major review of waste services and come into force next year.

Council tax will go up, as heavily previewed, by 9.99 per cent this year – and again next year.

But it’s the fate of day centres, youth services and some of the city’s community libraries that have triggered campaigns and protests – and now closures look exceptionally likely. All are now “under review” with cuts of millions of pounds to be made.

Assisted transport for disabled young people and children will be hit by a £25m cut. And there’s a plan to make a £5.7m saving in the spending on care packages, mostly for disabled and elderly residents.

Council leader Cllr John Cotton said it was an “unprecedented” situation.

He also said Birmingham was not alone in facing huge demand for social care services, which are expensive to deliver.

“I will be presenting this budget with a heavy heart,” he said.

Cllr Cotton added: “What’s really important is that we use our statutory consultation processes to engage with families and to engage with citizens around how we take those proposals forward.

“But this is a very difficult budget to bring forward and we’re very much aware of that and the decisions we have to take.”

He apologised for the spending reductions and the council tax increase. “We have no alternatives but to face these challenges head on,” he said.

“We will do absolutely whatever is necessary to put this council back on a stable and sound financial footing.

“The level of savings contained in these proposals are unprecedented and the council will continue to face financial pressures as it seeks to meet its wide-ranging statutory duties and to protect those residents in the city most in need of support.”

He continued that the council needs to “fundamentally change” how it delivers its services. Speaking at a protest over cuts to youth services last week, Labour councillor Kerry Jenkins said such services were “absolutely vital” to young people in the city.

She said: “Every young person should have access to youth services and to lose them in this city at this time would be an absolute travesty and disaster.

“Whatever happens at the budget meeting on March 5, we have to carry on fighting.”

Lee Wiggetts-Clinton, Unite regional officer, said the recent protest was about “saving the children and saving the future” and spoke about the impact youth centres have in their communities. “These places are safe hubs for these people,” he said.

Conservative group leader Robert Alden said: “These problems have been created by Birmingham Labour but it is Birmingham residents who will pay the cost of fixing it.”

Cllr Ewan Mackey, Conservative deputy leader, added: “The cuts Birmingham Labour are proposing are deep and far-reaching – youth services, libraries, street cleaning, bin collections, school transport – little will go untouched and few people will be unaffected.”

Birmingham City Council leader John Cotton