Birmingham City Council has replied to Save Birmingham’s recent letter about the handling of community assets. In the interests of transparency, and because our initial letter was issued publicly, we are publishing the council’s response here (attached below) so residents and community organisations can understand the position they have set out.
While the Council repeats its commitment to community involvement and says a new Asset Management Strategy will be published in early 2026, the response leaves several key issues unaddressed. We are not satisfied that the letter we have received provides any further clarity or reassurance at this stage.
The Council confirms that Community Asset Transfer (CAT) still exists “where appropriate”, but gives no clarity on how often it will be used, what the criteria are, or why some groups have recently been told that CAT is no longer an option. It describes its internal decision-making processes in general terms, but does not respond to any of the specific cases of delays, lost paperwork, withdrawn offers, CAT case closures, hugely delayed FOI requests, or unanswered correspondence.
Crucially, the Council does not address our concerns about the lack of transparency in the current processes being taken around asset disposals. This is specifically pertinent to Youth Centres where organisations were advised from Youth Services that CATs were their preferred method of disposal, only for Corporate Landlord to begin issuing paperwork to organisations for commercial-type leases without a clear explanation of what the process for this is, or why the opportunity for CATs have been withdrawn.
Of our four requests, the Council:
• reaffirms its commitment to the 2023 Joint Statement (not publicly),
• declines to bring a new discussion to Cabinet,
• promises to publish a summary of the disposal process (no specific date)
• rejects the call for an independent review of Corporate Landlord and Legal Services.
Overall, the response restates principles but does not resolve the core problems affecting community groups: lack of clarity, inconsistent practice, long delays, and poor communication.
We are in contact with some of the organisations that are currently attempting to negotiate with BCC regarding Naseby and Clifton Road Youth Centres. If you have also received correspondence from BCC regarding one of these sites and would like some guidance, please do get in touch with us via contact@savebirmingham.org
Similarly, if there are any other assets that you are concerned about and would like some advice or guidance, please also get in touch.
