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Birmingham City Council has signed off a wave of cuts to services ahead of a 21% rise in council tax over two years.

The largest local authority in Europe has declared itself effectively bankrupt and needs to make £300m in savings.

The financial measures have been described by those on the Labour-led council as "devastating".

Leader John Cotton apologised "unreservedly" to people living in the city during a full meeting on Tuesday.

Last September, the council said it could not afford to meet its financial obligations.

The cuts were first published in draft form in February, and touch on everything from reduced waste collections to dimmed street lighting.

The crunch vote, in which 53 councillors voted for and three against, came hours before Jeremy Hunt was set to reveal his Budget.

In it, the chancellor is expected to ask councils to reduce spending on diversity schemes and consultants.

Local authorities across the country have said they are struggling to balance the books, with Nottingham also announcing big cuts to services.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-englan...ngham-68483264