Birmingham City Council vows to ‘learn lessons’ amid World Cup bid

The Labour-run council decided at a special meeting this week to proceed with plans to bid to become a host city for the 2035 Women’s Football World Cup.

The tournament is set to be held in the UK after Fifa president Gianni Infantino confirmed it was the sole “valid” bidder for the event.

Birmingham Council said hosting the tournament could provide a £100 million economic boost, as well as jobs, a legacy for sport and another chance to showcase the city on a global stage.

During the meeting on Monday afternoon (OCtober 20), deputy leader Councillor Sharon Thompson said the council would learn from its past experience of hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2022.

The Games were a success in many ways, creating jobs, boosting tourism and contributing £1.2 billion to the UK economy.

But a damning report this year revealed some worrying findings over the major athletes village project, which a former council leader claimed would help rejuvenate Perry Barr and create a “meaningful legacy” back in 2018.

It confirmed the project had resulted in a “significant financial loss to the council”, the costs of which will be “borne over future years”.

It was more alarming news for a local authority which declared itself effectively bankrupt back in September 2023 due to a financial crisis.

Councillor Thompson said: “As this bid progresses, we are applying lessons learnt from the Commonwealth Games and other major events hosted across the city.

“We’re looking to make sure there’s strong oversight and management, financial discipline and minimal burden on the public purse.”

Councillor Karen McCarthy, the cabinet member overseeing finance, added: “This isn’t us getting on the right track and then immediately getting distracted by something bright and shiny – this is a well-thought out bid.”

Government-appointed commissioners, sent in to oversee the council’s recovery, said they wanted a report to demonstrate how the local authority had used “relevant lessons learnt” from hosting the Commonwealth Games.

Referring to this, Councillor McCarthy continued: “What sticks in my mind is something that [former commissioner] Max Caller said, which was that part of the problem was we had been distracted from what needed to be done in the city […] because there was so much going on around the Commonwealth Games.

“We’re 10 years out, we need to be careful over the whole of those 10 years that we are not at any point dazzled by the excitement of the Women’s World Cup.

“We have to keep our feet on the ground and focus on everything else we need to do while making this an exemplar of a world sporting event.”

Roger Harmer, leader of the council’s Liberal Democrat group, praised the plans for a bid and said there was an opportunity to learn from previous “errors”.

“Something that’s planned to take place in 2035 gives us time to have learnt all the lessons from previous major sporting events, where there were clearly errors made,” he said.

“I welcome the fact we have the opportunity to not only put on a great sporting event but make it also work for the city.”

‘Put us on the global stage’

Councillor Thompson also described the possibility of hosting the World Cup as an “incredible opportunity for our city” during the meeting.

“[It would put] us on the global stage alongside other cities across the country and bring in economic growth, skills and jobs, which is much-needed,” she said.

“This event would not only be about football but it’s about celebrating women’s sport – we’re seeing that on the rise more and more every day.”

She added that hosting costs “in large” would be met by the Government, with a contribution from Birmingham City Council and West Midlands Combined Authority.

A report said Birmingham would be competing against many other cities and “first-class football stadia” to become one of the host cities.

“However, its proven track record of delivering major sporting events and its fantastic transport links and good infrastructure puts it in a strong position to be one of the final English host cities selected,” it said.

Both Aston Villa and Birmingham City have been involved in the bid.

In a statement on the Perry Barr scheme, Councillor Thompson said earlier this year: “The report lays out difficult lessons the organisation needs to learn and we welcome the views and recommendations from the commissioners.

“Birmingham City Council is being transformed, and its governance processes are being strengthened to ensure members get the best professional advice, ensuring these mistakes are not repeated.

“We now have the senior leadership team in place to deliver this transformation and are committed to ensuring Birmingham City Council becomes a financially sustainable, well-run council that delivers good services to citizens.”