Birmingham City Council

(asked on 17th July 2024) - View Source

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 Portrait
Jim McMahon
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
This question was answered on 22nd July 2024

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.

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