Birmingham City Council has a new political leadership after weeks of uncertainty following May’s local elections.

A partnership made up of Green, Liberal Democrat and independent councillors has now taken control of the council.

Liberal Democrat councillor Roger Harmer has become leader of the authority, with Green councillor Julien Pritchard appointed deputy leader.

The partnership also includes the Better Birmingham and Birmingham Independent groups.

Under the agreement, the Liberal Democrats and Greens are expected to take turns leading the council over the next four years. Cllr Harmer is due to lead the council from 2026 to 2028, before the Greens take over the leadership in 2028.

But what does the change mean for Birmingham, and is the uncertainty really over?

Birmingham City Council now has a new administration, meaning a new group of councillors will set the direction of the authority and make decisions on local services, budgets and priorities.

The council remains responsible for major services including housing, social care, children’s services, waste, transport, planning, parks, libraries and public health.

However, the new leadership takes over at a difficult time for the city.

Birmingham is still dealing with the impact of its financial crisis, which led to the council effectively declaring it could not balance its books in 2023 without major action.

Since then, we have seen council tax rises, service reductions, asset sales and continued pressure on frontline services.

The council is also still under government intervention, with commissioners overseeing parts of its improvement and recovery work.

That means the new administration has political control, but it will not have complete freedom to do whatever it wants.

What happens next?

The new cabinet has now been appointed, with councillors given responsibility for areas including finance, housing, transport, children’s services, health and social care, culture, equalities and city operations.

Their first task will be to show how the partnership will work in practice.

Because no single party has overall control of the council, the administration will depend on cooperation between different political groups.

That means the new leadership will need to agree shared priorities, decide how it will handle difficult votes, and show it can work together on major decisions.

The budget is likely to remain one of the biggest challenges.

Birmingham still faces pressure over finances, savings, equal pay, service demand and public confidence.

Residents may also expect the new administration to focus quickly on visible local issues, including waste, street cleaning, roads, housing and neighbourhood services.

Can it all go to pot again?

Sadly, yes it can.

Birmingham City Council is still under no overall control, meaning no single party can run it alone.

The new partnership will depend on the Green Party, Liberal Democrats, Better Birmingham and Birmingham Independent groups continuing to work together.

If that agreement breaks down, the balance of power could change again. A council leader can be challenged if enough councillors back an alternative.

That does not mean another change is expected soon, but big votes, especially on things like the budget, will test whether the partnership can hold together.

For now, Birmingham has moved from political deadlock to a new power sharing arrangement.

The challenge is whether it can provide stability and improve the services residents rely on.