A co-operative campaign to Save Birmingham

When Birmingham City Council declared itself bankrupt, Co-op Futures, working alongside Co-ops West Midlands and partners launched the Save Birmingham campaign. With the Government appointed Commissioners looking to raise money and cut costs, a fire sale (a sale at extremely discounted prices) of assets and reduction of services looked imminent, so rather than stand by bemoaning their fate, the campaign is giving people a voice.

#SaveBirmingham has been hugely successful in rallying communities around the things they hold dear, everything from local libraries to cemeteries and from war memorials to community centres. We set up a website, printed leaflets, built a strong partnership with grassroots organisations, were interviewed on the TV and radio, raised some funds, and much more, all in the space of a few (exhausting) weeks.

The campaign also united all political parties to protect community places in an unprecedented key vote by Birmingham City Council, with councillors unanimously backing a motion committing to protect heritage, cultural and community places and to work with the Save Birmingham campaign.

Finding the levers that will allow communities to own and run their spaces, everything from the legal options like registering assets of community value and community asset transfers to demonstrating the groundswell of local support, requires patience and a collaborative approach, and sometimes involves challenging the authority when necessary.

Birmingham is not the first council to declare bankruptcy and it won’t be the last. If you’re reading this and worried about the situation in your own local authority, get in touch with the Save Birmingham campaign. We’re keen to share learning and support others.

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