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.

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.