Henrietta Brealey, chief executive of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce (GBCC), says: “We are continuing to work through the implications for the business community.

“While Birmingham continues to be a vibrant place to live, work, start and grow and enterprise, local authorities are important stakeholders in making our cities great places to do business. That includes ensuring support for the most vulnerable in society”.

Henrietta (pic) continued: “The significant financial strain Birmingham City Council is facing is well known. What's critical now is a pragmatic and open discussion about the impact that these cuts will have and what can be done to best mitigate the most challenging of them.”