Birmingham City Council leader John Cotton welcomes government commissioners intervention

Leader of Birmingham City Council John Cotton has welcomed an announcement from Michael Gove that government commissioners will run the local authority.

The Secretary of State for the Department of Levelling Up, Housing & Communities confirmed the move in the House of Commons today (Tuesday September 19). Cllr Cotton (Lab: Glebe Farm & Tile Cross) admitted he had concerns about a lack of ‘senior capacity’ at the council to deal with the issues it faces when he took over from Ian Ward in May.

Cllr John Cotton said: “We welcome today’s announcement and will now work with DLUHC and the commissioners to get the council back on a sound financial footing. On becoming Leader, I was concerned that there was a lack of senior capacity at the council to deal with the issues that we face, which is why we asked Secretary of State Michael Gove and the Local Government Association to help us rebuild that capacity and support us to get the budget on track. Today’s announcement is an important step in that direction.

“Although this is a challenging time, and comes after a decade of cuts totalling £1 billion, we will make the tough decisions needed to transform the council, restore financial sustainability, and deliver the services that the people of Birmingham deserve. A report outlining elements of our initial response will be considered and discussed by full council on Monday, September 25 and we will continue to be on the side of our residents as we build a better Birmingham.”