Opportunity for Birmingham residents to probe Council’s progress
The Birmingham Independent Improvement Panel, appointed by the government to monitor Birmingham City Council’s improvement programme, has announced plans for its third public meeting. The meeting will be held at 12 noon on Monday 14 December in the Council Chamber.
One year on from the Kerslake Review, the focus of the public meeting will be the City Council’s report – addressed to the residents of the city - about the progress it has made in implementing Lord Kerslake’s recommendations. Panel members will put questions to the City Council’s new leader, deputy leader, chief executive and opposition leaders about its progress. The Panel is inviting Birmingham residents to submit to the Panel, in advance the meeting, the questions they would like the Panel to ask.
The Council’s progress report will be published on the Council’s website on 7 December. Residents are invited to submit their questions relating to the report to a special email address admin@birminghamnewsroom.com by 10 December.
Commenting on this call for questions the Panel’s Chair, John Crabtree, said: “December is an important milestone for the Council. A year on from the Kerslake review the Council will be reporting directly to the city’s residents about the improvements it has made and those it still needs to achieve. We want to give as many residents as possible the chance to raise questions about the improvements that are most important to them.
“We are therefore inviting residents to send us the questions they would like the Panel to ask. The Panel will put as many residents’ questions to the Council’s leadership as it can on 14 December. This will enable residents who can’t attend the meeting in person to have their questions answered as well as some of those who are in the audience.”
Members of the public can attend the meeting in person or watch a webcast of the meeting on the Council’s website https://www.birmingham.public-i.tv/core/portal/home
To book to attend on the day residents can book via Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/birmingham-independent-improvement-panel-14-december-2015-registration-19360638190
Following the meeting the Panel will review the Council’s progress and in January it will submit a further report to Rt Hon Greg Clark, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.
ENDS
For further information please contact Lucie Perrins, PA to John Crabtree
Mobile 07787 522 003.
BACKGROUND
In December 2014 Lord Kerslake published The way forward: an independent review of the governance and organisational capabilities of Birmingham City Council. Sir Albert Bore, Leader of Birmingham City Council and the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government had asked Lord Kerslake to conduct the independent review.
Alongside the recommendations in the Kerslake report relating to action Birmingham City Council should take, Lord Kerslake recommended that the Secretary of State appoint an independent improvement Panel to work with the Council to provide robust challenge and support.
The Improvement Panel was set up in January 2015. Its members are John Crabtree OBE (chair), Frances Done CBE (vice chair), Cllr Keith Wakefield (former leader of Leeds City Council), and Steve Robinson (chief executive of Cheshire West and Chester Council). Sir Mike Tomlinson, as a children’s services commissioner for Birmingham, is an ex-officio member.
