The first-floor's exterior balcony is used by visiting dignitaries and victorious sports teams, to address crowds assembled below.

The Council House, which has its own postcode, B1 1BB, is located in Victoria Square in the city centre and is a Grade II* listed building.

This land consisted of Ann Street which was home to properties such as the "Cabinet of Curiosities", a clothes shop advertised as "An exhibition for the curious observer of natural phenomena".

[9] On 9 August 1902, the Council House, along with the Town Hall, was illuminated in celebration of the coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra.

[10] The Council House was extended a second time in 1911–19 (by architects Ashley & Newman) with a new block to the north and connected to the original building by an intricately designed archway (internally a corridor).

Memorials within the Council House are:[11] The foyer featured in the Cliff Richard film Take Me High, made to appear as a hotel lobby.

[12] The glass corridor, banqueting suite and other parts also doubled as a hotel in Stephen Poliakoff's Dancing on the Edge.