Oral Answers to Questions

Ayoub Khan Excerpts

Monday 9th June 2025 Commons Chamber

[Jim McMahon]

In all areas, there is more than adequate time to prepare final proposals. Councils in the devolution priority programme have until September, and all others—the majority—have until November. That is more than adequate time for councils to be able to marshal and get their plans together and make an assessment on that basis.

[Ayoub Khan (Birmingham Perry Barr) (Ind)]

It has been reported that the Birmingham bin strikes may last until December. How can this Government claim to support workers when they refuse to fund Birmingham city council properly? This dispute boils down to cash, yet the Government are failing Birmingham’s bin workers, residents and businesses. The Government backed our steelworkers. Will they back the bin workers with extra funding?

[Jim McMahon]

I hear what the hon. Gentleman says. On the calls that we have with MPs when we update them on these issues, his tone is quite different. We need to separate the rhetoric from the reality. The reality is that for the first time we had £600 million in the recovery grant, which was about those councils suffering high deprivation and historically low tax bases. Birmingham was the biggest beneficiary of that, receiving nearly £40 million.