Birmingham & Black Country

Local elections 2026
Local elections 2026

What does a council do in England?

A quick guide to the different types of local authorities and the services they are responsible for.

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The video playlist

Watch our pick of standout clips from Birmingham and the Black Country

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BBC Sounds: From Birmingham & Black Country

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  1. Birmingham Crown Court is a large red brick building with steps leading up to an entrance covered by a large porch. There are trees and bushes either side of the entrance and to the right is a large stone grey statue depicting three heads on top of one another, getting smaller as they go up

  2. A long street with a car park on the left as well as large red brick buildings surrounded by metal fencing. On the right are red brick buildings with grey metal shutters over garages

  3. A woman in a police officer's uniform and hat grins with her arm in the air, while hugging a young blonde girl in red armbands who smiles at her.

  4. A bald man with beard stood against a light green studio wall. He is wearing a camel coloured jacket and black top

  5. Sean Egan, pictured with a neutral expression on his face. He is bald but has a dark blonde beard, he wears a black t-shirt underneath a beige jacket.

  6. A green space with grass and wildflowers with purple petals. In the distance is a blue metro tram at a tram stop

  7. Two women, a man and a child buying toys in the toy department of Rackhams, Birmingham, West Midlands. December 1974.

  8. A man and woman stand together looking at the camera. He has short grey hair and a moustache, and wears a black padded coat with a red lining and a maroom jumper underneath. His wife has blonde shoulder length hair and sunglasses on her head. She has a brown padded coat on, a cream jumper underneath and a necklace. Behind them is a row of shops and a main road.

  9. A couple pose for a picture - the woman on the left has long blonde hair and a light-pink dress. The man has short brown hair, a blue jacket and white shirt. There is an old stone building behind them.

  10. A black man sat a tram stop in a black coat and hat. He is talking to a female BBC reporter with blonde hair. She is wearing a black gillet and faded blue jeans. A blue Midlands Metro tram is passing by

  11. A small church with symmetrical blue doors and pointed arches at the front. There are several cars parked alongside the church on the road.

  12. Monty Panesar has a black headscarf on and wears black glasses. He has black facial hair and is wearing a teal coloured t-shirt with a Twickenham Cricket Club logo on its breast. It is raining around him

  13. A wooden ship's wheel and compasses on display on a fake wooden floor with a fake ship display behind it.

  14. A man with short grey hair, a short beard and mustache is wearing a blue jumper with a grey shirt underneath. He is standing in an empty restaurant which is blurred in the background and shows a black stair rail and black chairs

  15. This is a three-panel composite image made up of different scenes. Left panel: A still from a dramatic scene showing Leonardi DiCaprio and Kate Winslet standing closely together outdoors, with wind blowing and open sky behind them, a moment from the Titanic film Centre panel: A studio-style portrait of a Jeff Goldblum wearing dark-framed glasses, a black suit, and a textured shirt, set against a plain light background. Right panel: An outdoor scene in a garden or park, showing two women standing beside leafy plants, with a small sign on a post visible among the greenery.

  16. An artist's impression of the new Curzon street station, showing people outside a huge arch entrance with "Birmingham Curzon Street Station" in bold white signage.

  17. A smiling baby boy with short dark hair holds a card reading 'Today I am 11'. He is wearing a white top and is pictured against a pale grey background.

  18. A close up of a baby with short black afro hair. He is leaning to the side and smiling at the camera. In the corner there is a West Midland Police logo

  19. A woman with black hair stood in a street next to a red car

  20. A Peregrine Falcon perched in front of a tall clock tower.

  21. A composite police image of Mohammed Khan and Mohammed Haydar. Both have short dark hair, beards and moustaches.

    • UK
    A teal-coloured Lamborghini on the side of a road with two police vehicles in the background

  23. A white multi-storey building with a sign in Art Deco style that says "The Electric"

  24. An artist's impression of the courts, which are in a line and have purple flooring with glass walls and white lines on the floor. adjacent to them is car parking with black flooring and yellow bay lines