The money would come from a single pot of cash replacing the current tangle of government handouts, said Patrick Burns, BBC political editor for the Midlands.

BBC: Birmingham & Black Country

Our Political Editor Patrick Burns has been speaking to him, to former CBI boss and proud Midlander Digby Jones, and he will be joined live by current Birmingham City Council leader Mike Whitby to answer the charge - has Birmingham lost its way?

BBC: NEWS | Programmes | Politics Show | Council pay cuts...

Patrick Burns, the BBC political editor in the West Midlands, said the result of four district counts showed the "near-collapse" of the Liberal Democrat vote, even in MP Lorely Burt's Solihull ward, where the party's share of the vote dropped from 43% at the last general election to 3.4%.

BBC: West Midlands PCC election: Labour win