Today the Cabinet agreed on the draft Improvement & Recovery Plan (IRP). This is the first stage of a longer-term IRP. It is the latest in a long line of glossy plans with well-meant words, but which have gone undelivered over the last 10 years. Birmingham Local Conservatives are calling on the Council to finally deliver the culture change needed to ensure services improve for residents and the working environment for staff.
Cllr Robert Alden, Leader of the Opposition and Birmingham Local Conservatives said,
This is at least the 3rd ‘reset’ of the Council’s relationship with partners the administration has done in the last 10 years. Partners will be wondering what will be different this time. We have been clear with the Council that the purpose of the Council should be to deliver for residents first and foremost. Therefore, as well as their latest reset needing to make the Council a trusted partner with partners, it also needs to focus the relationship on delivering for residents.
Cllr Alden continued,
The IRP should not be about individual policies such as fortnightly bin collections that the Labour Administration is trying to force on the city. It should be about delivering the cultural change needed to get the basics right, delivering services to the standard residents deserve. For their plan to have a lasting improvement it needs to be focused on embedding the cultural change needed at the Council, not complaining about residents and councillors who oppose the Administration’s policies – such as the closure of libraries.
