Alarmed Brummies express dismay over Birmingham City Council crisis ahead of meeting

Alarmed Brummies have expressed fear and anger over the crisis unfolding at Birmingham City Council as a critical budget meeting draws closer.

This week, the full council is set to vote on a budget proposal which includes an enormous wave of proposed cuts to local services as well as worrying hikes in council tax – potentially creating a cocktail of misery for residents.

Youth services, day centres and early help services are all impacted by the proposed cuts and ‘reviews’ as well as bin collections, libraries, cultural organisation grants, leisure fees, street lighting and much more. Anxiety over the crisis-hit council’s dire situation has manifested itself in several different ways during the past few weeks: protests in the city centre, tearful councillors and angry petitions to name just a few.

Countless Brummies have been expressing their dismay over the direction  their beloved city is going in too, as well as what the budget proposals could mean for them personally.

A demonstration, held on Saturday, March 2, saw union members and campaigners gather in Victoria Square outside the council house in protest against the ways BCC intends to slash services across the city. Those attending criticised the Labour council for its mistakes as well as the period of austerity brought in by the Conservative government in Westminster. Many of the protesters carried signs calling on the arts, libraries and youth services to be protected.

With the all-important budget meeting just around the corner, many residents have also been making their voices heard on an online petition against the rise in council tax, which has been signed more than 10,000 times as of Monday, March 4.

While John Cotton, leader of the council, has said the council tax support scheme will continue, many are still anxious about the rise.

'It's unfair to punish the people of Birmingham'

One person who signed the petition wrote: “We are already struggling with the cost of living and having to hear about this increase will cause us further financial burden – please stop making it hard for people to live!”

“I think it’s unfair to punish the people of Birmingham for what was the council’s and government’s fault, especially during a cost of living crisis,” another argued.

Several petitions have also been launched amid uncertainty over the future of the city’s libraries. A consultation to shape the future of the city’s library service will be opening soon but there are fears a number of areas may see their library close.

One petition, launched by Liberal Democrat councillor Izzy Knowles, says: “Libraries don’t just provide books – they provide refuge from the cold, company for lonely people, space for community organisations and a hub for civic related duties.

“They are a free place to go with children and a place that inspires people to learn and develop, and they are a quiet place to go to if things are difficult at home.”

A spokesperson for Birmingham City Council said that alongside the broader delivery of library services throughout the city, the process of deciding which libraries become hubs will “undergo extensive consultation across online and in-person formats.”

They continued: “While we must operate within budget constraints, we are committed to preserving access to vital library resources and services to meet both current and future resident needs.”

“In each locality, we will explore all possibilities for future library provision,” they added.

The potential impact on Birmingham’s cultural scene has been another huge concern in the past few weeks, even causing emotional scenes during a recent council meeting.

“For me, arts aren’t a luxury – they are actually what makes life worth living in this city,” cabinet member Liz Clements tearfully told her fellow councillors. “They are a reason to keep going so I’m personally really devastated about that.”

Proposed grant cuts, which could affect the city’s flagship venues such as City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Birmingham Royal Ballet, have sparked deep anxiety elsewhere, including from the Trades Union Congress (TUC) in the Midlands.

The chair of its Creative and Leisure Industries Committee, Stephen Brown of the Musicians’ Union, claimed the “well-being of residents and the city’s identity is being sacrificed on the altar of cuts.”

He said: “Once we lose our cultural icons, they are gone forever – do we really want this to happen?” Lee Barron, Midlands TUC Regional Secretary added: “The city needs more cultural sector investment – not less.

“We are set to see new TV and film studios in Digbeth – what kind of landscape will they be coming into if we potentially lose our best known cultural organisations that may be supporting them with our best local creative talent?”

“We are supposed to be the second city, let’s act like it,” he added.

Asked about the Cultural Organisation Grant reductions, council leader John Cotton said it was an emblem of the difficult choices they have to make amid the need to also deliver frontline services to vulnerable people.

“In an ideal world I’d prefer not to be in this position but we are having to cut our cloth accordingly,” he said.

During a cabinet meeting last week, Cllr Cotton said he was “deeply sorry” and insisted that work was under way to resolve Birmingham specific issues the council is facing, including the historic equal pay liability and the implementation of the Oracle IT system.

He has also previously argued that the consequences of austerity, as well as the hollowing out of local government, had played a role in the council’s downfall.

Councillors are set to vote on the budget proposal during a Meeting of the City Council being held on Tuesday afternoon, March 5.