Birmingham’s Labour Councillors face a stark choice in this year’s budget: hit residents with a double whammy of higher taxes and fewer services – or adopt Birmingham Local Conservatives’ Alternative Budget, which delivers the modernisation needed to fix Birmingham City Council and protect frontline services, delivering the Conservative Plan for a Cleaner City.
Birmingham City Council meets on Tuesday 4th March to vote on whether or not to approve the Labour Administration's budget for the next four years. A budget that hits Brummies with a double whammy of higher taxes for fewer services. The City Council is proposing to raise council tax again. Birmingham Labour’s continued tax hikes have resulted in the largest tax hikes of any metropolitan council since 2012, with an increase of 73%, £814 for the average household, since taking control on an election pledge not to increase council tax.
The Administration's budget cuts essential services, including scraping weekly bin collections, cutting street cleaning, and reducing the number of libraries and the hours they are open.
The Council have had to admit the budget also does not balance, forecasting £ 380 million worth of overspends across the next 4 years. Failing to fix the root causes of their financial crisis, means more cuts next year. For over a decade, the Opposition Group on the City Council have called on Birmingham City Council to modernise the way the Council works, reducing the use of agencies and consultants, moving to a more agile workforce and sharing services with neighbouring Councils. This would enable frontline services to be protected and enhanced.
Birmingham City Councillors will have a choice at the meeting with the opposition Birmingham Local Conservatives’ group presenting a fully costed Alternative Budget, signed off by the Council Finance team and the Commissioners. This shows there is another way – which protects frontline services and residents, transforming the Council to deliver a better service:
The Conservative alternative budget delivers the Conservative plan for a cleaner city. The Conservatives would keep weekly bin collections, increase the amount of street cleaning in the city, scrap the Labour Rat Tax, to help tackle the city's worsening rat problem and increase the number of Mobile Household Waste Centre visits to wards across Birmingham.
Birmingham Local Conservatives’ fully costed Alternative Budget shows how council services can be protected from more of Labour’s double whammy of higher taxes and fewer services in the future, by putting the City on the right path now. The only question is whether Labour will do the right thing – or continue making residents pay the price for their financial mismanagement.
Cllr Robert Alden (Con, Erdington), Leader of the Opposition and Birmingham Local Conservatives, said,
Birmingham Labour has a choice today. They can choose to protect residents, and back our plan for a cleaner city. Birmingham has been blighted by increased rubbish on the streets, that's why our Conservative Plan for a cleaner city would keep weekly bin collections, increase street cleaning and scrap Labour’s Rat Tax. We urge Councillors from all parties to vote for our amendment at the budget meeting today.
Robert added
Councillors can put residents first today by voting for our alternative budget which protects residents and the services they rely on by modernising the Council and transforming outdated back-office practices. Birmingham is an amazing place, and despite everything Labour have put the city through, we believe it can bounce back and be better than ever. But to do that we need a modern, efficient council which works with stakeholders and communities to deliver the high-quality services they deserve, one that can keep our streets clean. Voting for our alternative budget today would be the first step towards creating such a council.
Cllr Ewan Mackey (Con, Sutton Roughley), Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Birmingham Local Conservatives added,
Labour’s choice is to vote for our alternative budget or pursue their devastating double whammy and prove that the City’s residents and services aren't safe in Labour’s hands. If Labour’s budget passes, they’ll attract more rats to our streets, devastate the library service, and put the quality of life of residents at risk. We have a duty as public servants to protect our residents. Labour’s choice is to continue to put their self-interest first and vote for their double whammy budget, or put residents first and support our amendment.
