No 'optimism bias' over IT debacle, say leaders

Council bosses say 'significant strides' have been made since

- ALEXANDER BROCK Local Democracy Reporter

BIRMINGHAM City Council's leadership has insisted it is not suffering from “optimism bias” amid a major transformation project.

The Labour administration at the crisis-hit authority said 'significant strides' had been made with the reimplementation of the Oracle IT system during a cabinet meeting this week.

The disastrous implementation of the Oracle system was one of the issues which contributed to the council effectively declaring itself bankrupt in September 2023.

A recently-published council report said it resulted from factors such as flawed configuration and lack of appropriate levels of testing.

But it said that the system will empower the council and its staff to manage money, people, and information efficiently and effectively.