Oracle, Birmingham City Council’s IT system, has been delayed for a fourth year in a row following a series of setbacks since its initial implementation in April 2022.
The council has delayed the planned April 2026 go-live date and said the system will now go live “later on in 2026”, without providing further clarity on the timeline.
Saima Suleman (Lab), cabinet member for digital, culture, heritage and tourism, said: “This decision reflects the council’s focus on ensuring that the reimplementation goes smoothly and the programme is successful – prioritising readiness and stability over fixed dates.”
She added that the “programme’s budget included a contingency to accommodate for eventualities such as this” and that “this is not adding further cost into the existing budget”.
However, Cllr Meirion Jenkins (Con), shadow cabinet member for finance, said the project was “catastrophically mismanaged”.
She said: “Labour has spent more than £150m and still failed to deliver what they set out to do over a decade ago. It is time for them to step aside and let someone take charge who will put residents and taxpayers first.”
The Oracle IT system was introduced to the council in 2020 but has faced continuous delays after auditors Grant Thornton identified “fundamental weaknesses” in governance and programme management arrangements.
The auditor also found key deficiencies in the system, including its inability to produce reliable financial reports or account for cash and income without “significant manual input” from the finance team. This meant it failed to support critical processes such as savings delivery and debt recovery.
Commissioner Myron Hrycyk, who is supporting Birmingham City Council to address its Oracle issues, said: “Improvements to the management and control of the Brindley Oracle programme have enabled good progress to be made.”
He added: “Commissioners recognise the complexity of the endeavour. Maintaining the quality of implementation is a priority. By extending testing and preparation for go live helps secure this. Commissioners support the approach to get this right rather than rush it.”
The council issued a section 114 notice in September 2023 after being unable to meet its financial liabilities, with the system’s problems a contributing factor.
Liberal Democrat leader on Birmingham City Council Roger Harmer said: “This is yet another failure by the current Labour administration and will result in costs rising yet again at a time when Birmingham simply cannot afford it.”
Birmingham City Council will be among the authorities holding elections in 2026, and the council has told LGC that the system should be live “later this year”.