‘A big setback for the city’: What Birmingham people think of council budget cuts

INot long ago, the people of Birmingham were told that the city was on the verge of a “golden decade”, with events such as the Commonwealth Games and the arrival of HS2 driving record levels of investment.

Now that the council has declared itself effectively bankrupt, councilors will decide on Tuesday whether to approve a series of proposed budget cuts and a 21% council tax rise over the next two years, leaving residents worried about the future.

The proposals include fortnightly rather than weekly bin collections, dimming street lights, scrapping funding for arts organizations, cutting £24m from the adult social care budget and closing 25 of the city’s 35 public libraries .

People from across Birmingham have had their say on what these cuts will mean for them and the city.

Laurence Pattona business owner and director of Birmingham Pride, which has just lost £15,000 of council sponsorship

These council cuts feel monumental and people in the city are appalled. I have been doing business in this city for over 25 years and have never felt so bleak.

For Birmingham Pride, it feels like we only discovered at the 11th hour there was a huge gap in our budget. We’re not going to allow this to undo what we’ve built with Pride over the past 15 years or so, but it doesn’t help.

We still have some great artists booked; we’re getting ready for it. But all the headlines coming out of the city are discouraging. It casts a shadow over everything. I think that’s very unfair and it actually negates a lot of the work that’s been done to build the city’s image.

The businesses I spoke to and the people who live in the city were frustrated. We are all worried. We are all worried. We all feel like this is just another storm on the heels of COVID and the cost of living crisis. This is a huge step backwards for the city, and it confuses me and makes me very angry. You think, oh my gosh, when are we going to take a break?

Haniya Aadam, works at Green Lane Mosque and community center in Little Heath

As a mosque we are doing our best to serve the community and we are seeing seniors, families, young children being affected. But we can’t do it all; we lack the funds ourselves. Every one of our services is oversubscribed, from the food bank, to legal surgeries, to joint pain clinics, to all youth services. Scouts have already found about 300 people on the waiting list.

I have three kids myself and I figured they needed somewhere to go after school. We need after-school clubs; they need enrichment in sports, arts and culture. We had the Commonwealth Games here and the atmosphere was very high. Young people are full of optimism. I just think it’s such a shame that the rug has been pulled out from under our feet.

My biggest concern is the cuts to funding for youth services and I would like to see more advice from qualified grassroots organizations to the council on this. Our ward is one of the most deprived in the country, so we need this funding; there needs to be some sort of priority system.

Jody Beswickone regional manager for food recyclingusing leftover food to provide free meals to the community

When these council cuts come into effect we will definitely see an increase in people coming to us. People are already struggling as they emerge from the coronavirus pandemic, not just financially but socially. People are more anxious, fearful and lack trust. It’s not a good place to put this on. We can’t solve people’s problems; all we can do is give them a little breathing space.

I think people are really depressed, and for those who are really struggling, it’s only going to get worse. The proposed increase in council tax means people who are working, no matter how much disposable income they have, will be cannibalized. Then the rubbish collection points will move to fortnightly, so I absolutely guarantee you will see an increase in illegal dumping. All of this undermines people’s resilience and just makes you less proud of this city – and we are a proud city.

I was born and raised in Birmingham and I can see the change. There was a lot of pride when the Commonwealth Games were held here and you can still see elements of it, like the big bull at New Street station. But this sense of pride was quickly forgotten.

Jennifer Brown, with the South Birmingham Area Citizens Advocacy Group (Casbah) and co-ordinates a self-advocacy group to help people with learning disabilities find their voices

send [special educational needs and disabilities] With council cuts, services are my biggest concern at the moment. As a parent with a child with Send I know how difficult it is and we are constantly fighting for support for our children every day whether it is transport or EHC [education, health and care] plan. There is not enough support for SEND families and cuts to services will put extra pressure on everyone.

My other biggest concern is the closure of libraries. Most people with disabilities need easy-to-read information, they can go to libraries for help, and they can help alleviate loneliness and isolation.

The disability community feels like an invisible community. We are always the last thing on our minds and it feels like we won’t be looking at parliamentary cuts. I want our local councilors to go around all the places that will be affected – day centres, community centres, schools, etc. – to see how much of an impact their cuts will have on people’s lives.

We just want to confirm what will happen to facilities such as day centers and warm spaces that disabled people rely on. They are a lifeline that can be severed.

Shuranjit Singhis a Handsworth resident who is campaigning to save his local library from risking cuts

Losing its library means Handsworth has lost its soul, literally. I think the true beauty and importance of a library lies not only in the services it provides, but also in the spaces it creates for people of all backgrounds to gather and gather.

People are worried, people are scared, and ultimately, we’re not sure how the cuts will have a real substantive impact on our lives. I feel like libraries are an important representation of the impact of cuts on communities – people really feel it when they disappear. Those from socio-economically deprived backgrounds will be hardest hit.

And people from those backgrounds are going to try to come together to make some changes, and we’re already seeing groups being formed to save these services.

Emma StanningChief Executive Officer, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) Cut council funding by 100% by 2025

This is obviously terrible news and is at the heart of the nationwide retreat from investment in the arts by local authorities. Things were starting to get pretty serious. Going back ten years, we received twice as much as we do now, so the money has been flowing in one direction for a long time.

I think the arts are often one of the first industries to suffer in situations like this, but in this case, I think it’s really a tragedy for the entire city.

Fortunately, this is not a crisis for CBSO. But it does create pressure, which means we have to think about how the band can behave more commercially to bring in new revenue. We have to think about ticket prices; that puts pressure on fundraising. Of course, these cuts are affecting arts companies across the city, who will find it more difficult to sustain funding withdrawals.

But we should remember that the city council went bankrupt, but the city did not; the city was actually very prosperous. I hope the energy of the past few years, particularly the Commonwealth Games push, will help us keep the city’s cultural vitality alive.

John Cotton, Labor leader of Birmingham City Council

Cutting £300 million over two years involves some very, very difficult decisions. Our financial situation is extremely difficult. No one wants to increase council tax when the cost of living crisis is also affecting people.

But while we have some issues that we absolutely have a responsibility to address here in Birmingham, this doesn’t happen in a vacuum either. When I speak to other parliamentary leaders, they face the same difficult choice. We’ve seen the consequences of 14 years of austerity absolutely be felt.

I completely understand the worries and worries of people across the city. But Birmingham remains very open for business; we still have record investment coming into the city, which is driving job growth and opportunity. The real challenge we face is ensuring that every part of the city shares in these opportunities.

We have a serious job to do and things have to change. The Council will look very different.