'Gove did a political hit job on Birmingham', Labour mayor tells fringe event at Tory conference

The Labour mayor, who defeated Tory incumbent Andy Street in May, said he felt Birmingham had been unfairly singled out, and that its people were suffering from cuts that had been forced on them.

Mr Gove appointed a team of eight commissioners, headed by Max Caller, to take over the management of the authority in October last year, a month after the authority declared itself to be effectively insolvent.

But Mr Parker accused Mr Gove of setting Birmingham up to fail for political expediency.

Speaking at a fringe conference event, hosted by the Centre for Cities, Mr Parker said the council's financial problems had also been overblownl

"Gove sent the commissioners in to do a political hit job on this city," he told the event.

"Birmingham's position is no more or less acute than other local authorities, who were given four years to turn things around, but Birmingham was given just two years."

He said the compensation bill for the much-publicised equal pay claim was likely to be much lower than the figure Mr Gove had quoted.

"This city needs support, I'm not saying it doesn't need the commissioners, but there needs to be a way of doing this without the cuts being as deep as they are."

Mr Parker reiterated his focus on jobs and training for young people, housing and transport as his top priorities for his time in office, and said he was committed to improving transport links between the West Midlands and Manchester, following the cancellation of the northern line of HS2.

He told the event he was determined to be the mayor for the whole of the region, and had a close relationship with all council leaders, regardless of their politics.

Extending the hand of friendship across the political divide, he offered some advice to a member of the Young Conservatives who was planning to stand for election.

"Work hard, have a clear vision of what you want to do and how you want to improve society, and enjoy it," he told him.