Birmingham city councillor numbers to be cut from 120 to 100

Birmingham currently has 120 city councillors, which will be cut to 100

The number of elected councillors at Birmingham City Council is likely to be cut from 120 to 100, in an attempt to tackle "deep-rooted" issues.

Ward boundaries would be redrawn under the plans, recommended in a review by Sir Bob Kerslake, published last year.

Chair of the Local Government Boundary Commission, Max Caller, said the shake-up would "help the council address the failings of the past".

The new wards would ensure "electoral equality" for voters, the council said.

A public consultation is under way.

'Less progress than expected'

Mr Caller said the Kerslake report had found the "current quantity of councillors, committees and decision-making bodies had not always translated into a high quality of representation for local people."

He said the council supported the thrust of the report and the "process of change in Birmingham is under way".

Sir Bob's review was commissioned following a series of investigations into the so-called Trojan Horse letter, which detailed an alleged hard-line Islamist takeover plot in some city schools.

In his report, he also concluded the council's current election system, in which a third of councillors are voted in each year, had not helped "strategic decisions".

Opening hours at Birmingham Library were halved in April as the council tries to save nearly £113m from its 2015-16 budget

Under the new set-up, the entire council would be up for re-election every four years.

Leader of Birmingham City Council, Sir Albert Bore, said the proposals would not come into effect for three years, by which time there would have been "big changes" in how the council operated.

He said there was a "clear vision for the future governance of the city that would address past failings and future plans".

However, on Monday, the Birmingham Independent Improvement Panel, which was set up on Sir Bob's recommendation to oversee changes at the council, said the speed of progress was too slow.

Currently, each ward in Birmingham is represented by three councillors, the Boundary Commission said, and there are 40 wards in the city.