Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 30 October 2024 to Question 11851 on Employers' Contributions: Local Government, whether local authorities will be compensated in full for the additional cost of employers' national insurance contributions; and when she plans to announce details of each local authority's allocation of the support for additional employer NICs costs.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
As per our response to Question UIN 11851 on 8 November 2024, the Government has committed to provide support for departments and other public sector employers for additional employer NICs costs. This applies to those directly employed by the public sector, including local government. We will set out further details of how this support will be delivered in due course.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether local government commissioners appointed by her Department are classified as civil servants.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
No, they are not classified as Civil Servants.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 5 September 2024 to Question 3908 on Max Caller, what records were kept of that meeting.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
As previously set out in my answer to Question UIN 3908 on 5 September 2024, officials attended the meeting between the former Secretary of State and Max Caller on 26 September 2023. As has been the case under successive administrations, the details of internal correspondence and meetings between officials are not routinely published.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's publication entitled ministerial meetings, July to September 2023, updated on 14 December 2023, whether the then Secretary of State's meeting with Max Caller on 26 September 2023 was attended by officials.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The meeting on 26 September 2023 between the former Secretary of State and Max Caller was attended by officials.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the report entitled Value for money and accountability: a report on the Birmingham City Council section 114 bankruptcy, published by Sheffield University's Audit Reform Lab on 19 August 2024, if her Department will make an assessment of the the (a) findings and (b) recommendations of that report.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Commissioners at Birmingham City Council provided a response to the Audit Lab Report which is publicly available at: https://auditreformlab.group.shef.ac.uk/value-for-money-and-accountability/. The Ministry will continue to work with commissioners and the Council on the challenges faced at the authority to return it to financial stability. I also refer my Hon Friend to the answer given by my Rt Hon Friend the Member for Ashton-under-lyne to his Oral Question 900270 on 2 September 2024.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 22 July 2024 to Question 216 on Birmingham City Council: Insolvency, whether (a) Ministers and (b) officials in her Department were informed that the decision would be made on 5 September 2023 prior to that notification being issued.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Both officials and former Ministers in the Department were notified of the decision of Birmingham City Council to issue a Section 114 report after the report had been issued by the Council’s Section 151 officer.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's publication entitled Birmingham City Council: Commissioner appointment letters, published on 5 October 2023, what (a) process and (b) criteria her Department applied to (i) shortlist and (ii) select those Commissioners.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The previous government introduced a recruitment process to identify potential candidates for future commissioner appointments and other improvement roles.
A recruitment consultant was hired to help create a high calibre, diverse pool of candidates with interest and availability confirmed in advance of any need.
The exercise to identify potential commissioners and other improvement roles was public, and applicants were able to apply online through a dedicated website. I refer my Hon Friend to the written statement made on 1 December 2021 (HCWS435) which referenced the open recruitment process.
Candidates were drawn from the recruitment pool and elsewhere, reflecting the experience and expertise considered necessary. Decisions on appointment were taken, following due diligence and conflict of interest checks, by the former Secretary of State under section 15 (6) of the Local Government Act 1999.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement published on 5 February 2024, HCWS241, on Local Government Finance Update, whether her Department carried out impact analyses on allowing Birmingham City Council flexibility to increase council tax bills by an additional 5 per cent.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
In line with the practice of successive administrations, detailed minutes of ministerial meetings - even those that are declared publicly - are not normally disclosed.
The first formal report from Birmingham City Council Commissioners, which was submitted to the former Secretary of State on 26 April this year, will be published on gov.uk as soon as practicable. That report was submitted six months after the start of the intervention, in line with the expectations placed on Commissioners on their appointment. I have met the Leader of Birmingham City Council and I am due to meet with the Commissioners this week. I would be happy to meet with all MPs whose constituencies are within the area of the Council.
The department and former Ministers were notified of the decision by the then Section 151 Officer at Birmingham City Council to issue a Section 114 report on 5 September 2023, the day it was made and published by the Council. The Council has provided the Department with their estimate of the equal pay liability, including as part of their request for additional financial support in February 2024. That estimate is £867 million. In line with the Public Sector Equality Duty, an equalities analysis was carried out in relation to requests from councils for additional flexibility to increase council tax for 2024/25.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's publication entitled Birmingham City Council: Statutory intervention update letter from Commissioners, published on 22 February 2024, whether those commissioners have submitted further updates to her Department subsequent to that letter.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
In line with the practice of successive administrations, detailed minutes of ministerial meetings - even those that are declared publicly - are not normally disclosed.
The first formal report from Birmingham City Council Commissioners, which was submitted to the former Secretary of State on 26 April this year, will be published on gov.uk as soon as practicable. That report was submitted six months after the start of the intervention, in line with the expectations placed on Commissioners on their appointment. I have met the Leader of Birmingham City Council and I am due to meet with the Commissioners this week. I would be happy to meet with all MPs whose constituencies are within the area of the Council.
The department and former Ministers were notified of the decision by the then Section 151 Officer at Birmingham City Council to issue a Section 114 report on 5 September 2023, the day it was made and published by the Council. The Council has provided the Department with their estimate of the equal pay liability, including as part of their request for additional financial support in February 2024. That estimate is £867 million. In line with the Public Sector Equality Duty, an equalities analysis was carried out in relation to requests from councils for additional flexibility to increase council tax for 2024/25.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the notice issued by Birmingham City Council on 05 September 2023 under Section 114(3) of the Local Government Finance Act 1988, on what date (a) Ministers and (b) officials in her Department were first informed that this notice would be issued.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
In line with the practice of successive administrations, detailed minutes of ministerial meetings - even those that are declared publicly - are not normally disclosed.
The first formal report from Birmingham City Council Commissioners, which was submitted to the former Secretary of State on 26 April this year, will be published on gov.uk as soon as practicable. That report was submitted six months after the start of the intervention, in line with the expectations placed on Commissioners on their appointment. I have met the Leader of Birmingham City Council and I am due to meet with the Commissioners this week. I would be happy to meet with all MPs whose constituencies are within the area of the Council.
The department and former Ministers were notified of the decision by the then Section 151 Officer at Birmingham City Council to issue a Section 114 report on 5 September 2023, the day it was made and published by the Council. The Council has provided the Department with their estimate of the equal pay liability, including as part of their request for additional financial support in February 2024. That estimate is £867 million. In line with the Public Sector Equality Duty, an equalities analysis was carried out in relation to requests from councils for additional flexibility to increase council tax for 2024/25.