Mike Whitby, Leader of Birmingham City Council said: “Inheriting the worst recession since 1921, you do not need to be an economist to understand that the situation the new coalition government has been presented with is unsustainable – and it’s having an impact on the competitiveness of our country. Tackling the deficit is a national challenge, and one that every public sector agency will share in.
“In September I acknowledged the likelihood of Birmingham City Council having to find a further £330million of savings over the next three to four years. We are now comparing this against today’s announcement – although we expect more detail will have to follow over the next weeks and months.
“Whatever the final figure this is a gargantuan challenge – but one that we will have to rise to. Birmingham, after all, already has a proud reputation for innovating, developing new ideas, and solving problems in creative ways. As a progressive partnership we have already achieved efficiency savings of £180m since 2004, and this has enabled us to consistently make below-inflation increases in the council tax, whilst generously funding essential front-line services.”
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