Commissioners to run Birmingham city council, Michael Gove says
The Guardian 2023-09-19 13:18:24 • 1 min
The government has announced it will send commissioners to run Birmingham city council, and launch a local inquiry, after the authority declared itself in effect bankrupt.
This month Britains largest local authority issued a section 114 notice declaring 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.
It has a budget shortfall of 87m for the current financial year, projected to rise to 165m in 2024-25.
Michael Gove, the secretary for levelling up, housing and communities, announced on Tuesday that commissioners would preside over a financial recovery plan that could include the selling of council-owned assets, job cuts and a rise in council tax.
