Leader slammed over ‘lack of scrutiny’ of big decisions

Speaking at full council this week, Councillor Robert Alden said it was "surreal" that seemingly small-scale projects were being presented for debate when those with higher costs have not been.

Councillor Alden was referring to an item on the agenda to discuss the council joining a co-operative innovation network, at a total cost of around £7,900.

And he asked the leader why such an item was being given a full debate in council, whereas larger projects of greater cost had seemingly not been.

“This item is slightly surreal, because we find ourselves at full council debating whether or not to spend around £7,900, at a time when the administration has refused to debate many other things covering far higher expenditure in the past,” Councillor Alden said.

“When we consider the arguments there have been to allow severance packages for senior officers to be discussed in council, or the fact that the council didn’t want to discuss the Tyseley incinerator contract extension, a notice worth £490 million, and then tried to get councillors to sign non-disclosure agreements when given information about it.

“Refusal to allow call-in and debate for the bus depot relocation, something that went eight times over budget. Or the Athletes Village Plot 7 overspend. They wouldn’t bring full reports to cabinet for the procurement of services, for figures far higher than this, when they’ve gone over-value, because of the argument that those figures are below the levels of delegation.

“The administration didn’t discuss the charge in the Clean Air Zone. The administration didn’t discuss the A34 flyover demolition until after making a decision – in both cases, thousands of residents had objected.

“During the last eight years the administration has systematically pulled apart the power of cabinet and full council and delegated it away, to the point that Birmingham full council is only discussing whether or not to join a lobbying group for a cost of £8,000.

“And yet we learned today that over £400 million was allocated to Covid, without a single elected member approving it. Unlike what happens in other councils.

“This is totally unacceptable, and a total failure by the administration to do the jobs they were elected to do.”

In response, Council Leader Ian Ward said that Councillor Alden’s statement had been a "glass half-empty statement", saying he had nothing further to say on the matter.