Title

FINANCE

Brum proposes £300m cuts

Cash-strapped Birmingham City Council will cut spending on services by £300m to balance its books.

Cash-strapped Birmingham City Council will cut spending on services by £300m to balance its books.

The UK's biggest local authority will also hike council tax by 21% over the next two years from April, according to its budget proposals for 2024-25 and 2025-26.

Documents released by Birmingham alongside the budget proposals confirmed the Government has approved £1.25bn of exceptional financial support – in the form of loans that must be paid back partly through asset sales.

Council leader John Cotton apologised ‘unreservedly' for the spending reductions and council tax increase.

He said: ‘We have no alternative than to face these challenges head on and we will do whatever is necessary to put the council back on a sound financial footing.'

The local authority has warned that up to 600 posts may be axed.

Birmingham was forced to issue a section 114 notice in September.

The council is facing liabilities for equal pay claims of nearly £800m.

FINANCE

It's extremely unlikely that SEND transportation is a root cause of unsustainable spending

By Jonathan Holden | 04 September 2025

Claims about free taxis for pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) being ‘used and abused' are wide of the mark, and focus should inst...

FINANCE

How councils will fare under Fair Funding 2.0

By Jonathan Meek | 04 September 2025

Simon Christian and Jonathan Meek analyse the impact of the Fair Funding Review 2.0 on different council types and highlight the winners and losers among the...

FINANCE

Hampshire plans 'will save £63m'

By By Heather Jameson | 03 September 2025

Twelve of Hampshire’s 15 authorities have backed three different five-unitary reorganisation proposals which they claim would save more than £63m annually.

FINANCE

EXCLUSIVE: Fresh law to boost mayoral scrutiny

By EXCLUSIVE by Dan Peters and Neil Merrick | 03 September 2025

The Government will propose more legislation to enhance the scrutiny and accountability of mayors after the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill...

Popular articles by William Eichler