Birmingham is full of contradictions; a tale of two cities in its own right. It is a city with a proud history and exciting future, with huge opportunities for development, growth and – to use the zeitgeist phrase – levelling up. Yet the council, which has spent years on an improvement journey, is still not quite hitting the mark when it comes to meeting its full potential.

The city centre is looking impressive – but not yet finished – as the council races towards the finishing line for the Commonwealth Games.