CUTS NEED TO BE CUT

Birmingham is not the only large Council being hit by the Governments cuts to their funding from the Central Government but being the biggest council it has seen the biggest cuts –over £650 million from its annual budget since 2010. With far more to come.

We rate payers may feel we pay a lot of tax but Birmingham only raises about eight per cent of its money locally through council tax, which compares with an average of 25% per cent. Sadly lower value properties generally in Birmingham and high deprivation leads to less council tax income. Inflation which is now rising steadily rising also does not help the situation.

You have to live within your budget but they must be fair.

Despite what some people who are sadly in denial in my view may think, this means the Government grant has a far more damaging effect in Birmingham than elsewhere. The cuts are affecting everything the council does or wants to do and it is the resident like those in Oscott who are feeling it and often do not understand why.

It is because being a densely populated cosmopolitan city with high levels of unemployment in some areas with a lot of child poverty there are complex problems which require much more action to deal with.

 Another major issue for example is there are more frail elderly people who, unable to afford private care, rely on council services.

While in a desperate attempt to ease the effects of cuts, what are considered lesser important ( to some) services like grass cutting in parks and so on are being reduced.

Birmingham has just about coped with these horrendous Government cuts in their funding and the awful Austerity policies the Government are so wrongly fond of. There must be a re think. The policy has long past its sell by date

We have seen in the case of Northern Island for example, money can be found. That being the case it should be shared with larger cities like Birmingham and devolved fairly down to all parts of them including Oscott.