Birmingham City Council has set out plans to cut services while increasing council tax. Bin collections, road maintenance, housing, children's social care and street lighting are among the areas affected, as the council tries to balance its finances after declaring itself effectively bankrupt.
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00:00Birmingham City Council is making further cuts in an effort to save £148m while rising
00:06council tax by 7.49%. The local authority declared itself effectively bankrupt in September
00:122023, with a requirement to save £300m and sell £750m in assets by 2026. £43m will
00:22be removed from adult social care, £40m from children's social care and £20m from city
00:28operations, covering bin collections, leisure centres and pest control. A further £18m
00:34will be cut from housing. Last year the council saved £149m with reductions in arts funding,
00:41library closures and a cut back in adult day centres. A further £30m in savings is expected
00:47to be needed in 2026. The council's leadership says it is working towards financial stability
00:54while opposition figures have criticised the scale of tax increases in recent years.