Updated 2:10am 22 May 2013

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Paul Dale

Paul Dale

Prime Minister delivers some home truths at LGA conference in Birmingham

Public Affairs Correspondent Paul Dale reports from the Local Government Association conference in Birmingham, where David Cameron became the first prime minister to address the annual gathering of councillors and council officials Read

Man behind Birmingham City Council's business transformation project quits

The architect of Birmingham City Council’s £1 billion business transformation programme is quitting his job.Read

Skills shortage at heart of Birmingham jobs crisis, report warns

A low skills base and a shortage of job vacancies is condemning generations of Birmingham families to a lifetime of unemployment, a report has warned.Read

Councils divided over impact of high speed rail

West Midlands councils remain deeply divided over high speed rail, with only Birmingham and Solihull looking certain to back the HS2 plan.Read

Birmingham City Council HS2 survey results 'misleading', says Friends of the Earth

A Birmingham City Council survey which claimed to uncover strong support for high speed rail was based on only one per cent of people whose views were canvassed saying they backed the scheme.Read

Iron Angle: Changing of the guard in Birmingham

There are few occasions when it is possible to point to a turn of events and state with confidence that the political landscape will change dramatically as a direct result. Read

Birmingham jobs could go to outsiders, claim Labour

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Birmingham City Council insists on £2,000 tea at three-hour meeting

Politicians have decided they can’t do without their traditional high tea at Birmingham City Council’s next meeting – even though there are only eight items to discuss on one of the shortest agendas in memory.Read

Car parking charges lined up for Sundays and evenings in Birmingham

Transport bosses have decided to charge to park on the street on Sundays in Birmingham city centre for the first time in 12 years.Read

New parking charges for Birmingham city centre announced

Transport bosses have decided to charge to park on the street on Sundays in Birmingham city centre for the first time in 12 years.Read

Mike Whitby's warning for under-performing Birmingham schools

Under-performing schools in Birmingham must improve if young people are to get new jobs created as the country moves out of recession, city council leader Mike Whitby has warned.Read

Taxpayer picks up bill for Birmingham school's teacher training day at Hyatt

A secondary school held a teacher training day at Birmingham’s four-star Hyatt Regency Hotel – and sent the bill for £2,577 to the city council.Read

Albert Bore sets his sights on the Birmingham hot-seat once again

Sir Albert Bore, leader of the city council’s opposition Labour group, is to seek his party’s nomination to run for elected mayor of Birmingham. Public Affairs Correspondent Paul Dale assesses the chances of the politician dubbed the Great Survivor.Read

Iron Angle: A gutless Government losing enthusiasm for the big ideas

It is perhaps a sign of the uncertain times in which we live that two truly transformational projects for Birmingham and the whole country are being pursued by the Government with about as much enthusiasm as a wet weekend at Clacton.Read

Sir Albert Bore's 1999 prediction of an elected mayor for Birmingham

It’s been 12 years since Sir Albert Bore announced that it was inevitable Birmingham would follow London by choosing to be governed by an elected mayor.Read

Birmingham MP accused of hypocrisy over post office closures

One of Birmingham’s newest MPs has been accused of being a “hypocritical Johnny-come-lately” over his campaign against post office closures.Read

Birmingham MP accused of hypocrisy over post office closures

One of Birmingham’s newest MPs has been accused of being a “hypocritical Johnny-come-lately” over his campaign against post office closures.Read

Post Comment: City's £52-a-day care conundrum

A recent BBC Panorama investigation which uncovered alleged abuse of disabled patients in a residential home rightly angered the nation and led to the inevitable angry questions in Parliament.Read

Iron Angle: Council jobs lost to India the price of deal with Service Birmingham

There’s been a lot of huffing and puffing over Service Birmingham’s decision to offshore 100 city council IT jobs to India. Read

Leader Mike Whitby insists Birmingham City Council supports academies

The Conservative leader of Birmingham City Council, Mike Whitby, launched a strong public defence of independently-run school academies shortly after his own education spokesman branded aspects of the Government-backed programme “immoral”.Read

Author Profile

Paul Dale has been writing about local government in the West Midlands for more than 20 years. The Post's public affairs editor, he is a previous political editor of the Coventry Evening Telegraph and Local Government Correspondent of the Oxford Mail.