Cost of living emergency declared by Birmingham City Council

A meeting will take place to discuss the swift deployment of resources, says the Labour leader

A cost of living emergency has been declared in Birmingham, requiring a "pandemic-level of response".

In a speech, city council leader Ian Ward said there were "more difficult times ahead" which would negatively impact "every person" in the city.

The authority plans to rapidly deploy resources to support residents and businesses, the Labour leader said.

Party politics must be "put aside" to deal with the crisis, said opposition leader Robert Alden.

In the council meeting, attended by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Mr Ward said it was clear that price rises would present a long-term challenge, and the council eagerly awaited proposals from new prime minister, Liz Truss.

"Without knowing what support the government will put in place or how long energy prices and inflation will continue to rise, we will not be able to fully understand the impacts," he said.

He added that Birmingham Children Trust was already handing out Healthy Start vouchers to families of children most in need, and confirmed over £56m had been paid out in Council Tax energy rebates to approximately 376,000 households.

Birmingham City Council has previously revealed it is mapping out a network of spaces where people can go to keep warm, access services, and spend time with other people..

The buildings will provide warm shelter to help reduce excess winter deaths linked to freezing conditions.