Birmingham unveils a tough budget with £148m cuts and a 7.5% council tax rise, deeply affecting adult care, children’s services, and bin collections.
Many cuts were discussed last year. Seeing them now is still hard. Adult care and children’s services will be most affected. Bins will only be collected every two weeks. This saves £4.5 million. The new bin schedule starts in April.
Arts and culture grants are cut. The council will save almost £1 million. They will also reduce library hours. Two libraries will close to save money. Closing four adult day centers will save £1.4 million.
Children’s services are facing large changes. They plan to save over £25 million. This is through service redesign. Council leader John Cotton spoke to the media. He said they made good progress.
He also said it was a tough budget. Social care and housing have big pressures. The budget addresses those. He said they work well with the new government. The government gave them a boost.
Conservative leader Robert Alden disagrees. He criticized the rise in both taxes and cuts. Alden says council tax rose 73 percent. This has occurred over a decade. He says services declined during that period.
Rubbish piles up and bins are less frequent. Rodents are also an issue. Alden worries about cutting frontline services. He believes the council sells community assets.
He mentioned the faulty IT system. He also noted overspending on the athletes village. He called it a “grand failure.” The government allowed a smaller tax hike. This created a £12.5 million gap.
The council asked the government for help. They need exceptional financial support. Cotton says the council faced tough times. He knows this impacts the city.
They must balance the budget now. A deficit would hurt everyone, he said. The new government understands their challenges. The Cabinet must approve the budget. Then the full council votes in late February.
Approval requires a majority vote. Labor members had extensive discussions about the budget, Cotton claimed. The cuts include specific reductions. Adult social care faces a loss of £43m.
Services for children and families go down £39m. City operations will decrease by £20m. Housing will be cut by £18.2m. Corporate services lose £22.1m.
Places, prosperity, and sustainability face £5m cuts. Other cuts include specific service changes. Bin collections will be every other week. Arts grants are going away completely.
Adult day centers are closing down now. Libraries will have shorter hours soon. Funding for most youth centers is being cut. Children’s services will be changed.
Care centers and packages are under review. Street lights are being dimmed soon. Pest control services will charge fees. Leisure center fees are going up.
The council will reduce ward forums. They will sell graves in advance. Street cleaning operations will merge. Parking fees will be added at parks.
Funding for outdoor activities will decrease. They are getting rid of some waste worker roles. These workers are currently striking.
