A backbench Labour councillor told me last week “once we get rid of the Tories, we can get on with fighting the real enemy – each other”.

But now it appears that Labour winning control of the city council on May 3 is such a racing certainty that they have already started.

The three-way contest to become Labour’s mayoral candidate has already taken a nasty turn with all sorts of rumours of fixes and interference from party bigwigs.

On the one hand we are told they are trying to honour a debt to Sion Simon, who resigned from Parliament in 2010 so his seat could go to Jack Dromey.

On the other they are so spooked by the prospect of by-election losses, both financial and in MPs, following Bradford West that neither Gisela Stuart nor Liam Byrne will be allowed to resign from their Edgbaston and Hodge Hill seats.

Either way, Simon seems to be the only Labour contender we can be confident of being on any shortlist next month.

This turning on each other seems to be the most natural thing in the world for many Labour Party activists in Birmingham – but it is now making national headlines.

It is also adding fuel to “No” camp’s claim that it is easier to fix or corrupt a mayor than it is a group of councillors.

Stuart, who won the Spectator Award for Survivor of the Year after clinging on to her marginal Edgbaston seat against all odds in 2010, has attempted to cool the situation by writing to members urging them to focus on the local elections and referendum, and only then worry about the candidacy.

Stuart, incidentally, has been an advocate of primary elections which could take the selection of candidates away from the narrow group of party members.

She said: “Nothing is more important than winning Birmingham City Council for Labour.

“You might be getting calls from colleagues hoping to be Labour’s candidate for mayor, should Birmingham vote “Yes” in the mayoral referendum.

“You might even be wondering why I haven’t been in touch. It’s simple. The mayoral race starts on May 4 if, and only if, the people of Birmingham decide to go down that path.

“Until then, we all need to focus on the local elections.”

She adds that the world is watching. At the moment this audience is limited to the broadsheets and political classes, but should this in-fighting reach the man in the street, it may just be enough to encourage a few more “No” voters.

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The announcement of the new planning framework last month was welcomed by various developers talking about the balance being tipped back in their favour, after grumbling about how difficult it is to build what you like where you like.

After many years watching planning committee deliberations in this city I had generally found the planning system to be permissive and very much in favour of development.

And this week the planning committee will find itself over-ruled on the redevelopment of the Sutton Coldfield mail delivery office.

They had decided, for various reasons, to refuse the partial demolition of the grade II-listed building.

There are good arguments for demolishing this unremarkable building but Royal Mail really needs to make them with English Heritage.

The planning committee decided it was opposed but has been told there is no legally watertight justification for refusal. So if they stick to their guns it could cost the council at an appeal.