Category: Cabinet Reports
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Unanswered questions at the Scrutiny meeting
On September 11, the Ladywood Regeneration was discussed at the Homes Overview and Scrutiny Committee. The answers given to councillors’ questions raised further concerns about the regeneration. The context “A report without context is very difficult to understand,” the Chair of the committee noted at the beginning of the meeting. The report submitted to the…
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Residents express dismay at MP Shabana Mahmood’s latest statement on the Ladywood regeneration and its disregard for residents’ well-being.
On December 6, MP Shabana Mahmood published the results of her survey on the Ladywood regeneration. The findings are unequivocal: The regeneration has severely impacted the mental health of residents in the Ladywood regeneration area. The looming threat of demolition has prevented residents from investing in their homes, carrying out renovations, retiring or making plans…
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Questions for the council: Community charter – another survey
BCC invited further feedback on the draft of the Community Charter. While the newsletter sent on August 28 referred to the survey, council officers in contact with Ladywood Unite have failed to mention the survey in their communications. This omission is a serious shortcoming. The survey will close on December 2. You can fill the…
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Developer agreement – contradictions
Recently it was announced that the developer agreement is close to sign-off. Ladywood Unite do not support signing of the developer agreement. It is not mainly the uncertainty of the regeneration that is a problem for us – it is the prospect of what will happen to us as it goes ahead. This regeneration is…
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Questions for the council: consultations and the community charter
BCC invited more feedback on the draft of the Community Charter. The newsletter that was sent on August 28 read: “The charter has been developed in collaboration with the community after extensive consultation. We held a series of workshops in October and November 2023. After these workshops took place, we ran an online survey in…
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Questions for the council: optimism bias and financial risks
The regeneration of Perry Barr cost the council £325 million, in addition to £171 million in government grants. At the beginning of August, the council agreed to sell 755 homes to a private developer. However, the amount received won’t be enough to cover the entire cost of the project, with the council still expected to…
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Questions for the council: the community charter – some questions to ask
Here are some comments and suggested questions you can raise in the upcoming charter workshops. These comments and suggestions are ordered according to the structure of the charter itself. A summary of the list of questions can be found below for download 1. Welcome Sharing Power Powered by People is an official BCC policy. In…
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Questions for the council: when the future depends on the meaning of “viability”
Just over a year ago, Birmingham City Council (BCC) voted to award the regeneration of the Ladywood Estate to St Joseph, a subsidiary of the Berkeley group. For many residents, the news came as a shock. Since then, the future of the neighbourhood has remained uncertain, and the lives of residents precarious. What does the…
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Questions for the council – a matter of human rights
Further scrutiny and evaluation of the council’s human rights considerations is needed There is a substantial lack of clarity and explanation about why BCC “decided that, on balance, it is in the general public interest and of benefit to the community to make the CPO [compulsory purchase order] over and above the interest of the…
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Questions for the council: Not much about equality
We have serious concerns about the quality of the Equality Analysis in the 2023 Cabinet Report. The 2010 Equality Act, section 149, 1(b) states that: “1. A public authority must, in the exercise of its functions, have due regard to the need to: b) advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected…
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Questions for the council: what happened to democracy?
The regeneration has been consistently characterised by a democratic deficit since its very early stages in 2019 and 2020, when residents witnessed a general breakdown of democratic representation and BCC’s failure to fulfil its duty consult ahead of the bidding process In June 2019, Ladywood councillors issued a first leaflet pledging their commitment to help…
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A treasure of replies from the council – timelines, CPOs, etc.
The minutes from the council meeting on 9 January 2024 have now arrived online. Thank you to all of the Councillors asking questions on our behalf! We have had some answers on right to return, masterplan, consultation, community organisers, the residents charter, project resources, and the eight principles that have been missing. What do you…
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Who can we contact to recall the report?
On 27 June, 2023, some people inside Birmingham City Council approved a report that started the process of putting a compulsory purchase order on our homes (seeking approval in principle). Their decision to approve was based on a flawed process and incorrect facts. We need to demand that the flawed report is recalled – due…
Ladywood Unite 