Labour can’t pass the buck for Birmingham’s troubles

Whose fault is it that Labour-controlled Birmingham city council, the country’s biggest local authority, is now effectively bankrupt? The answer, according to the council’s leaders, is that it is anyone and everyone’s fault except their own. It is the fault of the government for imposing funding cuts over the last decade, the ballooning costs of rolling out a new IT system, and a historic equal pay settlement that is proving impossible to fund. In other words, it is nothing to do with those actually elected to run Birmingham. Is anyone surprised that politicians are held in such low esteem by the voters? 

The bare facts are these. The council has issued a section 114 notice, signalling that it does not have the money to balance its budget. The notice effectively puts a stop to all council spending in order  to ensure core services such as social care are protected.

Birmingham’s leaders have been quick to play the blame game.