Birmingham City Council’s plans to make multimillion-pound savings in its 2011/12 budget have been dealt a double blow by judges in the High Court.
Last week, a judicial review ruled that a decision to axe £1.4m of funding for several third sector groups was unlawful. Mr Justice Blake ruled that councillors failed to pay due regard to their responsibilities to promote equality, and did not consult properly on the cuts.
This decision followed another judicial review the previous week, which ruled that the council’s plan to limit social care for disabled people was also unlawful.
The authority planned to reduce care packages to about 4,000 people over the next three years, but was taken to the High Court over its decision by the families of four severely-disabled people.
A council spokesman said: ‘Birmingham City Council will be looking at this judgement in detail and will make a decision on whether to lodge an appeal. The generality of the budget is not affected, this is a decision about the eligibility criteria for adult social care.
‘Like all councils, Birmingham faces a huge financial challenge, with adults and communities having to make a share of the savings, like all other directorates, and we need to assess the impact of this decision.
