Government of Birmingham

By the 1760s the population growth of Birmingham made this system completely inadequate, and salaried officials were needed.

In the past, the council has been responsible for water, electricity and gas supply, further education colleges, public transport and local police and fire services.

It was expanded in 1891 under the City of Birmingham Extension Order by adding Harborne from Staffordshire and Balsall Heath from Worcestershire, as well as Saltley, a further part of Aston parish.

In November 2014, it was announced Birmingham was to create a combined authority with the four neighbouring boroughs of Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton.

The West Midlands Combined Authority was formed in April 2016 in a bid to gain greater devolved powers from the government.

Some local services which cover Birmingham are run jointly with the six other authorities in the West Midlands county.

These county wide services are: Birmingham's first two members of parliament were Thomas Attwood and Joshua Scholefield who were elected when the town was enfranchised in 1832, following the Great Reform Act.

Birmingham's ten parliamentary constituencies are represented in the House of Commons by two Conservative and eight Labour MPs.