Full Council on 8 July 2025 approved a Motion where the Council committed to reinstate four ward meetings per annum when budget provision allows. It is to be noted that the Council previously had Neighbourhood Action Coordinators, a role that has ceased following a now delivered savings requirement.
The approved motion also included the creation of a new ‘Local Partnership Officer’ role which would operate alongside elected members at ward level to support ward meetings, help build stronger relationships between community organisations, residents and members, and thereby help improve the quality of local neighbourhoods by finding community-led resolutions to local issues.
The Budget agreed by Council on 2 March 2026 included funding for the base budget in the Neighbourhoods Division from 2026/27 to 2028/29 to enable delivery of this approved Motion.
This report therefore recommends a model of provision for ward meetings and appointment of Local Partnership officers to support this function from 2026/27 onwards. Up to twenty ‘Local Partnership Officers’ would be recruited. These officers would
- support ward meetings
- manage a dedicated portfolio of wards,
- work with ward councillors to support them in their local leadership, partnership and convening role to engage community groups and jointly problem-solve issues.
Provision of ward meetings ensures residents have an opportunity to engage with local councillors, highlight issues that matter to them, and provides councillors with a forum to discuss local activity. It also provides a mechanism for councillors to engage on important issues and opportunities. This feedback creates the opportunity for increasingly coordinated and cost-effective local service delivery and accountability, with officers, community representatives and other partners attending ward meetings as appropriate and jointly working on resolving local problems and identifying preventive interventions.
The reintroduction of ward meetings and broader support for ward councillors is in line with the ‘Local Leadership, Local Governance, Local Action Programme’ being developed by the Cabinet Member for Transformation, Governance and HR.
This report is also part of wider localisation efforts to ensure a coherent approach to working with communities and neighbourhoods and across different directorates, thereby improving best value in efficient one-council responses to local concerns. The recommendations support Shaping Birmingham’s Future Together, drive opportunities for local level service improvement through ward action plans and ward meeting feedback loops, integration with data analysis through the City Observatory and ward profiles and will work collaboratively with the Pride in Place Programme. It will also create opportunities to take forward innovations in the Public Services Reform agenda and offer a starting point for delivering prospective future statutory obligations within the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill for more effective neighbourhood governance.