The housing secretary, Michael Gove, said commissioners would be sent to the stricken local authority to preside over decision-making in the coming weeks, after the city in effect declared itself bankrupt.
Addressing the House of Commons yesterday, Gove announced commissioners would be given extensive powers to take over the council's governance, financial decision-making and senior appointments, and a local inquiry would be launched to determine the source of the council's economic woes.
It comes two weeks after the council issued a section 114 notice stating it did not have the resources to balance its budget because of a series of problems including a spiralling equal pay bill and IT failures.
Gove told MPs: "I do not take these decisions lightly, but it's imperative in order to protect the interests of the residents and taxpayers of Birmingham."
He added: "Poor leadership, weak governance, woeful mismanagement of employee relations and ineffective service delivery have harmed the city. The one constant is there has been a failure to deliver for residents who deserve better."
In response, Labour's deputy leader, Angela Rayner, said cuts to council budgets over the past decade, including £ibn of cuts in Birmingham, had "pushed local government to the brink".
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der September 20, 2023-Ausgabe von The Guardian.
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