Crisis-hit Birmingham City Council ‘can learn from Walsall’
A senior councillor in Walsall believes Birmingham could learn from how the town’s authority dealt with its own crisis more than 20 years ago.
In 2002, a damning Audit Commission report highlighted how Walsall Council was plagued with financial problems, poor performance in key services and a culture of bullying and mistrust, all of which nearly saw it taken over by a Whitehall hit squad.
But deputy leader Adrian Andrew said their ‘neighbours’ could learn about how the authority acted to resolve issues and get back on track.
Last month Birmingham City Council effectively declared itself bankrupt, partly due to a £760 million equal pay bill to settle claims.
Members of Walsall Council’s standards committee discussed the Thurrock Best Value Inspection Report at a meeting on Monday (October 2).
Between 2016 and 2022, Thurrock Council borrowed large sums of money to carry out a number of investments with the aim of securing healthy returns.
But the risky strategy failed and resulted in huge financial losses which left the council effectively bankrupt.
Walsall said the Best Value report is used to benchmark its own governors in areas such as the importance of transparent and open decision making; holding officers to account; training and development; leadership, culture and behaviour.
Councillor Andrew said: “This synopsis could be Walsall Council 22 years ago.
“There is very much a learning curve and a story that’s happened in this council that our neighbours might want to come and learn about at some point.
“When myself, Councillor Keith Sears and Councillor Rose Burley were elected, there was no member development whatsoever.
“The fact we have a massive programme now of member development has changed.
“Some of that corporate history and knowledge we still have in this council is incredibly important to make sure things like that don’t happen again.
“We’ve got to be constantly challenging ourselves and constantly changing.
“We will have plenty to read about our neighbours in the coming months and some of the changes they are going to have to put into place as well.
“I do think sometimes, we hide our light under the bushel about the change we have come through over the last 20 years. Too many people think Walsall is going to hell in a handcart and it isn’t.”
