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Director Tom Davey comments on Birmingham City Council’s ‘bankruptcy’ in The Guardian

Director Tom Davey discusses how Birmingham City Council’s ‘effective bankruptcy’ reveals the fallout of post-2008 financial restrictions.

Tom’s comments were published in The Guardian, 5 September 2023, and can be found here.

“The ‘effective bankruptcy’ of Birmingham City Council reveals how the shockwaves of the financial restrictions imposed by the UK government after the 2008 financial crisis are still reverberating.

“As with the RAAC enforced school closures, known risks are left until it is too late, and councils are left in a dire financial state. We have seen this with not only Birmingham, but also with the recent section 114 notice issued by Woking Borough Council.

“This is a story where there are few winners. Stripping back funding to all but the most essential needs, the community will suffer as the local authority runs out of money, and increased pressure is placed on already under-funded and over-stretched services.”