Data collected by the TaxPayers Alliance found that Birmingham City Council spent more on private cars than any other local authority in the UK. £60,000 was spent by the council, using luxury vehicles. The TPA said the expenditure is the height of hypocrisy.

Mark Feehily of Westlife is expected not to be present for their performance at the Utilita Arena this weekend after he was diagnosed with pneumonia. The concert is still set to go ahead though, and the other band mates say they "will continue to fly the Westlife flag high for all of us".

Birmingham council spent hundreds of millions on providing adult social care last year as spending on services across England reached a record high. Nuffield Trust said budgets are being stretched due to inflation, and the system needs long-term funding to address workforce and capacity shortages.