Just £2.5m out of £115m fund spent on Birmingham back-to-work projects
“This demonstrates that the Be Birmingham board is totally out of touch with what is going on and fails to recognise the urgent need to get people into work.
“I intend to raise this with John Healey and ask him to investigate as a matter of urgency.”
His fury was shared by Sparkbrook Liberal Democrat city councillor Jerry Evans, who described the transfer of WNF money to social services as a “smash and grab raid” on people out of work.
Coun Evans added: “This is the sort of ludicrous proposal we might expect from Be Birmingham.”
Be Birmingham chief executive Jackie Mould admitted her board had been slow to react, but blameds delays on the “sheer size and complexity” of Birmingham’s economic challenges and the the government’s insistence that WNF allocations should be based on widespread community consultation.
She insisted that diverting funds to social services and other projects not directly connected to worklessness did not contravene the WNF rules and that decisions to use the money in this way had been backed by the Government Office for the West Midlands.
However, Ms Mould accepted that Be Birmingham “needs to learn lessons” and she is now risk managing WNF projects on a monthly basis.
A review of Be Birmingham’s approach to WNF showed that the initial programme was over-ambitious, but there was no point “rushing in and spending money on any old project”, she added.
The Be Birmingham board:
Jerry Blackett – Chief Executive, Birmingham Chamber of Commerce
Brian Carr – Birmingham Voluntary Services Council
Sophia Christie – NHS Birmingham East and North
Martin Clark – ACFO West Midlands Fire Service
Chief Supt Paul Scarrott – West Midlands Police
Elaine Elkington – City Council housing director
Peter Hay – City Council adults and communities director
Tony Howell – City Council children, young people and families director
Stephen Hughes – City council chief executive
Sharon Lea – City Council environment and culture director
Jackie Mould – Be Birmingham chief executive
Coun Paul Tilsley – Be Birmingham chairman
Lynne Wilson – Community Champion
Jon Wright – Jobcentre Plus
Karen Yeomans – Advantage West Midlands
plus Sir Albert Bore, leader of city council Labour group, who has observer status only
