Birmingham
Birmingham improving but there are still risks, says leader
Birmingham City Council has made some improvements but there are still risks, the council’s leader Ian Ward has told The MJ.
Brum bin apology
Birmingham City Council has agreed to apologise to 17 people after the Local Government Ombudsman criticised it for repeated missed bin collections.
Tourism levy meeting call
Core Cities has called for a meeting with new culture secretary Nicky Morgan and her ministers to discuss the idea of a hotel room levy.
Finance chief to take on Brum boss role
Birmingham City Council’s chief finance officer Clive Heaphy is to act up as chief executive when current incumbent Dawn Baxendale leaves the post.
Redditch slapped with rare Section 24
Auditor Grant Thornton has slapped Redditch BC with a rare Section 24 notice and urged it to take urgent steps to address its financial challenges.
Government: Brum no longer requires children's commissioner
Birmingham City Council no longer requires a Government-appointed commissioner to run its children’s services, the Department for Education (DfE) had announced.
Brum tourist tax call from ex-ministers
Former ministers have called for a tourist tax to be trialled in Birmingham to help fund the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022.
Big hitters revealed for the Brum turnaround team
The proposed advisers drafted in to help turn Birmingham City Council around include an array of local government big hitters.
EXCLUSIVE: Improvement model proposed for troubled Brum
Troubled Birmingham City Council has come up with plans for a new improvement model in its latest plans to avoid Government intervention.
EXCLUSIVE: Brum's Baxendale quits for New Zealand
Birmingham City Council chief executive Dawn Baxendale is departing to take up a new post at Christchurch City Council in New Zealand after just over a year in post.
Doubts over new taxes to fund Commonwealth Games
New forms of tax are unlikely to fill a £40m hole in funding for the Commonwealth Games budget, councillors in Birmingham have been told.
Brum improvement team issues final damning judgement and walks away
Birmingham City Council’s intervention team has issued a final, damning report on the crisis-hit council and walked away – despite admitting its job is not complete.
Birmingham's bin injunction bid thrown out
Birmingham City Council has lost its High Court bid for an injunction to stop a strike by bin workers.
Birmingham officers deny union accusations of 'inflammatory' reports
Senior officers at Birmingham City Council have rejected a trade union’s claims their reports have been ‘inflammatory, defamatory and inaccurate’.
Amey facing £200m Birmingham divorce bill
Amey may have to pay more than £200m to extricate itself from its troubled 25-year PFI contract with Birmingham City Council after years of legal difficulties, according to national newspaper reports.
Birmingham follows through on injunction threat
Birmingham City Council has insisted it had ‘no option’ but to follow through its threat of an injunction as industrial action by refuse workers continues.
Hundreds of Birmingham refuse workers to strike weekly
More than 300 refuse workers have announced they will begin two days of strike action a week in an escalation of the ongoing industrial dispute with Birmingham City Council.
Call for tourism tax review
An inquiry into cultural investment in cities has called for a UK-wide review of the benefits of a tourism tax.
LGA to build case for tourism tax
Smith Square is to commission further research as it looks to build a ‘very strong case’ for a tourism levy that could generate £12bn.
Brum threatens legal action against union
Birmingham City Council has threatened trade union Unite with the prospect of a court order as industrial action by refuse workers continues.