Here's How to Halt Progressive Decline in Birmingham's Future ; Three Years Ago Today, a Conservative-Liberal Democrat Coalition Took Control of Britain's Largest Local Authority. Public Affairs Editor Paul Dale Assesses the Progressive Partnership's Performance.

Summary

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The end for Labour when it came was as sudden and brutal as it was unexpected.

As the final ballot papers in the 2004 civic elections were counted it became clear that the party's 20-year grip on power in Birmingham was slipping away, but it was still just possible that council leader Sir Albert Bore could bring off one last defiant act of survival.

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Extract

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Here's How to Halt Progressive Decline in Birmingham's Future ; Three Years Ago Today, a Conservative-Liberal Democrat Coalition Took Control of Britain's Largest Local Authority. Public Affairs Editor Paul Dale Assesses the Progressive Partnership's Performance.

Labour ended the night as the largest group on the council, but some way short of an overall majority. Sir Albert fully expected to hatch a deal with the Conservatives, just as he had done a year earlier when the Tories agreed to allow Labour to continue running the council in return for taking all scrutiny committee chairmanships themselves - excluding the Liberal Democrats from power.

But it was not to be. The political landscape had shifted, thanks largely to evidence of wides...

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