Birmingham council leader 'surprised' by £760m equal pay bill

Council leader John Cotton said the scale of the problem emerged after a review of finances

The leader of Birmingham City Council said he was surprised when it was revealed the authority faces a bill of up to £760m for equal pay claims.

John Cotton took over in May and said the commitment came to light when he ordered a review of the finances.

But the GMB union, which represents thousands of council workers, said the issue had been around for a long time.

This week the authority stopped all non-essential spending because of its financial situation.

When interviewed by BBC Politics Midlands, Mr Cotton said: "I asked for a full review of what was happening across our budget and financial position and as a result of that I was then advised by officers that this was the scale of the equal pay liability facing the city."

But Rhea Wolfson, the GMB's head of industrial relations said: "I think we had to challenge the narrative that on Monday morning someone turned on a computer system and it all of a sudden told them that they had an equal pay problem."

She said the latest calculations might be new, but "this has been going on for over a decade".

Rhea Wolfson from the GMB challenged the idea the council leader had "just found out"

Mr Cotton would not say which services he considered non-essential or if this might affect plans to host the European Athletics Championships in 2026.

Instead, he said the authority would be focusing on "statutory and frontline services" and reviewing all of its commitments.

He also said there had been "productive discussions with colleagues in Whitehall" about additional funding from the government.

Andy Street, the West Midlands mayor, warned a bail out was "not an easy option" and it would probably have to involve the council declaring itself bankrupt and introducing a big council tax increase.

He said the problem was "uniquely made in Birmingham", but he would support the council if it was to seek money from the government.