Birmingham City Council: Public Services

Laurence Turner, the Labour MP for Birmingham Northfield, asked the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Angela Rayner, to assess the potential impact of her department's statutory intervention at Birmingham City Council on the adequacy of public services provided by that council. In her response, Angela Rayner acknowledged the privilege of her new role as Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State, and recognized the challenging situation faced by councils across the country, including those under best value intervention, due to a decade of financial mismanagement by the previous administration. She expressed her determination to work constructively with the council and the commissioners to reset the relationship with Birmingham and support its recovery, ensuring that local public services are fit for purpose. Laurence Turner recognized the difficult situation inherited by the Secretary of State, and highlighted that under the Conservatives, Birmingham had lost 40p in the pound and 60% of local authority jobs, facing cuts of more than 50% to some public service budgets. He stated that new information had come to light, and it was clear that part of the basis for the original intervention under the previous Conservative Secretary of State was wrong. However, the Speaker interrupted, stating that it was meant to be a question, not a speech, and suggested that an Adjournment debate would be more appropriate to finish this discussion. In her follow-up response, Angela Rayner welcomed the MP to his place and acknowledged his points about the cuts faced by Birmingham under the Tories. She stated that, unlike previous Ministers, the current government has no interest in using Birmingham and its people as a political football. While recognizing the need to make difficult decisions, she expressed her desire to work with the council leadership and the commissioners, and indicated that she is open to any representations they wish to make.