Heather Jameson assesses the situation at Birmingham City Council after a week in which the leadership was forcibly changed on the back of Labour intervention – something which has raised serious questions about local democracy

Birmingham's leaders had, just hours before, launched their economic growth masterplan at a packed room at UKReiif (the UK Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum) in Leeds – and to much fanfare across national and local media. In typical Birmingham style, the council continued its knack of exhibiting greatness while simultaneously facing catastrophic failure elsewhere.