Cllr Brigid Jones (Lab, Bournbrook & Selly Park) announced her resignation from Birmingham City Council yesterday. Cllr Jones was the Cabinet Member for finance, and had oversight of the Oracle IT system, and was Deputy Leader – also overseeing Oracle – under former Council Leader, Cllr Ian Ward (Lab, Shard End).
Cllr Robert Alden (Con, Erdington), Leader of the Opposition and Birmingham Local Conservatives, said, “We wish Brigid all the best in her future career and thank her for serving as a Councillor in the best city. I know she came into politics to try and make a difference like almost all Councillors do. Over the last decade, our group has robustly challenged the terrible things Birmingham Labour have done and, sadly, in reality, the award-winning Council Labour inherited in 2012 has been turned into one that's 'effectively bankrupt'".
Cllr Ewan Mackey (Con, Sutton Roughley), Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Birmingham Local Conservatives said, “Public life is always difficult, and right now public life in Birmingham is particularly difficult. I think Cllr Jones has done the right thing here though, and I really do wish her well in future. However, responsibility for the Administration’s failings must be shared across the Labour Cabinet. Now that Brigid has done the right thing, it’s time for Cllr Cotton to seriously think about whether he shouldn’t be joining her”.
Birmingham Local Conservatives called for Cllr Jones to resign in June 2023
Since Cllr Jones was first elected in 2011, the Labour Administration have:
- raised council tax by 77%
- signed off the closure of 24 libraries across the city
- cut highways funding by £50 Million
- create a potential equal pay liability of £860,000,000
- spent £146,000,000 on the botched Oracle IT system which was originally budgeted as £19,000,000
Cllr Jones resignation means that the City Council has recently lost its:
- CEX
- Section 151 Officer
- Director for Digital
- Cabinet Member for Finance