Council leader's joy as city gets £1bn in funding for services

HUGE SETTLEMENT FOR POOREST COUNCILS IN COUNTRY

- JANE HAYNES People & Politics Editor

Birmingham City Council's Council House in Victoria Square

BIRMINGHAM has emerged as a major winner after the Government announced it was to giving it an extra £1 billion.

The city council is to get the extra funding to help it deliver essential services as part of the multiyear settlement announced in the House of Commons yesterday.

The move was hailed as a massive fillip to the beleaguered council, still in recovery after declaring its de facto bankruptcy two years ago.

The announcement was part of a deal announced to pump a total of £78 billion funding into local authorities across England over three years, heavily weighted to support areas of the greatest deprivation over more affluent parts of England.