Liberal Democrat response to section 114 notice

Today, Birmingham City Council have issued a section 114 notice. Effectively this means that the council is bankrupt and if it was a company would be put into liquidation. On paper, this means that Birmingham Labour accept defeat. They cannot balance the books and they need help to steady the ship. 

Let’s be clear. This is a failure of Titanic proportions. Birmingham City Council is bankrupt, and Birmingham Labour’s administration are the ones at the helm. 

Yet even as the ship goes down, Birmingham Labour continues to blame others for their woeful failures. Both the major problems that have caused this, the Equal Pay fiasco and Oracle IT problems are the result of failures within the Council and are not caused by the Government or previous administrations of the Council.

Liberal Democrat Group Leader Roger Harmer commented “It smacks of sheer arrogance, that the council can sit and blame others for their inability to manage the council effectively. Not one of them has apologised to the people of Birmingham for this failure, not one”. 

“This decision is going to be felt most sharply by the most vulnerable in our city. The serious failures with adult social care, the equal pay crisis and the oracle fiasco is what has pushed us over the edge. 

Lib Dems have already asked for external help with this but now it appears almost certain that Tory Commissioners will be appointed to take over the Councils work”.

“Every one of Birmingham’s citizens will feel the pain of this decision as we move into uncharted waters. Services will be cut to essential only meaning that many services that people rely on, services that are essential to those people, are going to be cut.

“Rest assured that the Liberal Democrat group will fight tooth and nail to ensure that the residents are prioritised as this is worked out. No more Birmingham Labour vanity projects, no more passing the buck. They will be answerable to the people of Birmingham.”