Sir Albert Bore: How will his Birmingham tenure be remembered?

The leader of Europe's self-styled "largest local authority" has announced he is to step down. But how will Sir Albert Bore, who held Birmingham City Council's top seat as it weathered some of its biggest controversies, be remembered?

Sir Albert has led the council twice - from 1999 to 2004, and again since 2012.

During that time, the city has undergone huge redevelopment, but now the authority finds itself under scrutiny from a government-appointed independent panel.

The panel has criticised council leadership and is expected to publish its findings next week, which could see the council put in special measures.

Bearing that in mind, how will Sir Albert's tenure at the top be remembered?

Many of his Labour colleagues have paid glowing tributes to him - Erdington MP Jack Dromey said he was a "legend in his lifetime" and Birmingham Northfield MP Richard Burden said his contribution to the city was "immense".

However, the "eye-watering cuts" the council has faced had, Mr Burden said, "exposed deep-seated problems" within the council, something the panel has already highlighted.

The Library of Birmingham opened in 2013, just one of several large-scale projects in the city in recent years - but its opening hours were cut a year later

"Also, the council tried to micro-manage, it should have evolved more....but, I can't lay all of that at Albert's door, you need to get below that," he said.

But Mr Burden accepted Sir Albert wanted to go, adding: "There comes a time to move on and he recognise that and we respect that decision."

Paul Dale, former public affairs editor for The Birmingham Post and now the blogger behind The Chamberlain Files, said the council had been "quite chaotic" for some time, with social services in special measures.

The Trojan Horse debacle - claims a group of conservative Muslims were taking over a number of schools in the city - also came on Sir Albert's watch.

"It does not add up to give the impression the council knows what it's doing," said Mr Dale.

"The council has not moved with the times."

He said it had been led by a "political elite", not worked enough with partnership organisations or its own backbenchers.

"Sir Albert has been challenged as leader of the Labour group nearly every year since 1999 and scraped through by just a few votes sometimes."

Birmingham's New Street Station has been transformed in a £750m, five-year project under the council leadership of Sir Albert

The old Birmingham Central Library is to be demolished

In November 2012, the authority was forced to pay out at least £757m to settle equal pay claims by council workers after the Supreme Court ruled in their favour.

Mr Burden admitted the authority could have prepared more for that happening but some resources were put aside [during the previous Labour-led era at the council] which were then spent by the successive Conservative-led council.

However, Conservative Northfield councillor Randal Brew said he disputed that account.

"You'll always get each party blaming each other over the equal pay but when we came in in 2004, the equal pay laws had already been passed by a Labour government in the late 1990s and nothing had been done [within the council] to prepare for it.

Work is under way on a £500m development by the old library

"But, Sir Albert was always challenging or criticising the [coalition] government about funding and cuts," he said.

"When we were in control, we always presented a balanced budget and Labour's alternative budget, when in opposition, ran to about one-and-a-half pages of A4."

Overall, he said he was sad to hear he was going as leader.

"I'm very sorry to hear it. We haven't always agreed on things, less and less in recent times but, he always fought for Birmingham."

This year, the independent Birmingham Improvement Panel has been overseeing changes at the council, something imposed on it by the government after several reports focussed on the council during the Trojan Horse scandal.

That decision "sealed [Sir Albert's] fate", Mr Dale said.

"I'm not surprised he has resigned - the only surprise is that it's taken so long," he said.

Has his departure come ahead of the panel reporting its findings, thought to be next week?

"I think others are anticipating damning recommendations from the panel and he's been forced out," he said.

Paul Dale said he was not surprised Sir Albert had resigned

Fears the council could be put in special measures, like Rotherham, has made his colleagues think if there is a new leader it will buy them some time to change, he said.

Mr Bore told BBC News on Wednesday it would be "unfair" and "something that had come about for the wrong reasons" if commissioners were sent into the council.

But, for the inhabitants of Birmingham, they have seen a radical transformation since the late-1990s, something that Sir Albert has led from the front.

"His performance on economic development and regeneration of the city centre could not be over-praised," Mr Dale said.

"He's been on an almost messianic crusade to regenerate the city - the Mailbox, Snow Hill removing the concrete collar that prevented the development of the city - he can hardly be criticised."

One of his most loyal councillors, Anita Ward, said his legacy would be: "I remember the Birmingham that was, and I see what Albert has done...he realised we had to modernise.

"The mark of the man is that there was no bitterness [when he resigned]. He's always put the city first...I have the utmost respect for him falling on his sword."

Mr Dale said he thinks he will be remembered for "having a tremendous vision for the city" but at times, his "imperious" nature had left his backbenchers feeling their views were not taken on board.

"A very difficult position to be in for a leader," he concluded.