Council to axe more than 1,000 jobs as budget cuts continue to bite

More than 1,000 jobs are set to be axed at Birmingham City Council as it continues to battle “the most prolonged period of budget cuts in its history”.

The council, which has already reduced staffing by 48% over the last eight years, says it will continue to reduce staff numbers by more than 1,095 posts in 2019/20, potentially rising to 1,579 by 2022/23.

In the city’s Financial Plan 2019-2023, the council said that in addition to improving the way it uses and manages its financial resources it has “embarked on a long term programme of transformational change”.

Council leader Ian Ward said: “It is clear that after almost a decade of austerity driven cuts, this continues to be the most challenging period in Birmingham City Council’s history.

“Funding for vital services to support the people of Birmingham has been cut by more than £690m since 2010. And we must now find further savings of £85m over the next four years, including £46m for 2019/20, taking the total annual savings over this 12-year period to £775m.”

He said the council is going through “the most prolonged period of budget reductions in its history”, requiring difficult decisions to be made about which services to cut.

Over the same period, demand for many services (especially adult social care) has grown and that has meant “tougher budget decisions than ever before”, the report said.

Ward added: “Those cuts continue to hit the people of Birmingham hard and I want to pay tribute to council staff, who continue to provide a vital safety net for the most vulnerable people across this city, despite losing almost 12,000 colleagues since 2010.

“The ongoing commitment and dedication from staff in such challenging times will be vital.”