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Bus and local rail services would be controlled by councillors, under plans announced by Labour.

It’s part of a massive transfer of powers and funding from Government departments in Whitehall to local councils - which Labour says would let regions such as the West Midlands run their own affairs in a similar way to Scotland.

In his latest General Election announcement, Labour leader Ed Miliband said councils would also take control of job programmes designed to get unemployed people into work.

And they would make decisions about training schemes in the region, to ensure young people were taught the skills employers need, as well as having more control over where new houses are built.

A total of £30 billion currently spent by central government would be transferred to local councils.

And councils would be allowed to dictate where bus should run and how often, with bus companies continuing to provide the service. They would also have a say over rail services.

Conservatives also back plans to devolve power to local councils - and George Osborne, the Conservative Chancellor, has already signed a deal with Greater Manchester councils giving them £1 billion worth of powers over transport, housing, planning and policing.

He has spoken of creating a “Northern Powerhouse” involving Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds and other northern cities.

But Mr Miliband said: “Labour will create regional powerhouses in every corner of the country.

“It will bring devolved powers in England closer to those enjoyed by Scotland and Wales.”

(Image: Chris Radburn/PA Wire)

The challenge for local councils though is that they will be expected to work together by creating a “combined authority”.

Birmingham is talking to Black Country councils about forming one of these. Solihull could also be involved - but Solihull Council is currently reluctant to join.

Birmingham hospitals miss targets

New hospital performance figures show how the NHS is struggling and came at just the wrong time for the governing parties.

New figures show the NHS in England has missed its four-hour A&E wait target for the past three months - with performance dropping to its lowest level for a decade.

Just 91.8% of patients were seen within four hours between January and March, when the target is 95%.

A Conservative spokesman said: “A&E units across the UK faced unprecedented demand this winter, but English A&Es see 3,000 more patients a day within four hours than in 2009, and perform better than Scotland, Northern Ireland and Labour-run Wales.”

Proportion of A&E cases admitted, transferred or discharged with four hours of arrival Full data: http://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/weekly-ae-sitreps-2014-15/

At Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Heartlands, Good Hope and Solihull hospitals, just 81.8 per cent of patients were seen within the limit.

At Sandwell And West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs City Hospital, the target was met in 90.3 per cent of cases.

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Edgbaston, met the target in 94.3 per cent of cases.

But good news at Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Russells Hall Hospital, Dudley, which met the target in 95.1 per cent of cases.

Labour: Winning Birmingham Yardley is our priority

Labour is so sure it’s going to hold on to the Birmingham seats it already has that it’s urging supporters to pour into Yardley - to try to unseat Liberal democrat candidate John Hemming.

Hodge Hill candidate Liam Byrne, who has been the constituency’s MP since 2004, has distributed leaflets to his supporters urging: “Yardley is just next door and Jess Philips PPC (prospective Parliamentary candidate) has a fight on her hands to dislodge the Lib Dem John Hemming - can you help?”

While the leaflet does invite supporters to knock on doors or deliver leaflets in Hodge Hill, it also has boxes to tick for people willing to give up their time to campaign in Yardley instead, where Mr Hemming was first elected as an MP in 2005.

Mr Byrne must be feeling confident.

Today's row: Who's going to raise taxes the most?

Arguments about tax are currently dominating the general election campaign, as the parties argue about who plans to clobber us the hardest.

Liberal Democrats say they want to increase the salary you have to earn before you start paying income tax to £12,500 - effectively cutting tax by £380 a year for many workers.

But they claim Labour would charge taxpayers £340 a year more.

Labour’s Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls claims Conservatives would increase VAT and cut the highest rate of income tax, which is paid by people earning above £150,000 and is currently charged at 45%.

And George Osborne, the Chancellor, says Labour actually has secret plans to put up taxes by £3,000 for each working family.

Tony Blair backs Ed Miliband - but he once predicted Miliband would lose the election

Former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair is back on the campaign trail - warning that Conservative plans for a referendum on leaving the EU would cause “chaos”.

He predicted: “Jobs that are secure suddenly insecure; investment decisions postponed or cancelled; a pall of unpredictability hanging over the British economy.”

And Mr Blair paid tribute to Labour leader Ed Miliband, saying: “He is his own man, with his own convictions and determined to follow them even when they go against the tide. I respect that.”

He wasn’t always such a fan - warning in December last year that Labour under Mr Miliband’s leadership was on course to lose the election.

Mr Blair said in an interview that it could be an election “in which a traditional left-wing party competes with a traditional right-wing party, with the traditional result” - and confirmed that he meant the left-wing party would lose.

(Image: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire)

Don't believe the hype

Labour has produced a video attacking the Conservative record on the NHS:

Conservatives used Tony Blair's appearance to repeat their claim that Ed Miliband would be in the pocket of the Scottish National Party if he became Prime Minister:

And the Liberal Democrats also focused on Tony Blair to remind us about the Iraq war:

Read our guide: What you need to know about the general election

The battle for power

Our interactive poll-of-polls draws on every opinion poll published by each of the main polling companies over the last 100 days: