Efficient & Accountable Council

Birmingham deserves a council that spends every pound wisely and answers to the people who pay for it. Right now, it does neither.

How we got here

In September 2023, Birmingham City Council — the largest local authority in Europe — issued a Section 114 notice, effectively declaring itself bankrupt. It pointed to an equal-pay bill of around £700 million, but the collapse was compounded by a catastrophic Oracle IT project whose cost has ballooned from an estimated £19 million to a projected £216.5 million by 2026. The council is now run under government-appointed commissioners. This is what happens when nobody is held accountable.

What Reform councillors will fight for

• An independent, line-by-line audit of every major contract and IT project — with the findings published in full.
• An end to the secrecy: open-book budgets and real scrutiny of senior management decisions.
• Consequences for failure — no more six-figure pay-offs for those who oversaw the collapse.
• Every pound saved from waste and consultants redirected to the frontline services residents actually use.