● Radical plan to split Birmingham City Council apart
A radical new plan to end decades of failure at Birmingham City Council by breaking it up and creating ten district councils was unveiled.
Areas such as Edgbaston, Hall Green or Erdington would have their own local authorities collecting council tax and providing key services, under plans set out by Sutton Coldfield MP Andrew Mitchell.
And the Conservative MP, who is close to Local Government Secretary Greg Clark, said there was "considerable support" for his plan both within the city and the Government.
He said: "In my view, something like this is going to happen."
● Metro to New Street delayed after Grand Central work overruns
The Midland Metro service to New Street would not fully open until after Christmas after delays caused by the German Market and Grand Central work, it was confirmed this month.
While trams would eventually return to the streets of Birmingham for the first time in more than 60 years on December 6, they will only stop at Bull Street until early 2016.
The new line is not expected to be fully open until late in January after work was hindered by the development of Grand Central and John Lewis.
After Centro consulted with traders, Christmas festivities and the German Market meant work was put off until next year.
● Delays hit new Park Regis hotel and sky bar
Hopes that a new sky bar towering over Birmingham city centre would be open by Christmas were dashed after construction work was extended.
The new Park Regis Hotel, in Auchinleck House overlooking Five Ways island, had been due to open by October.
However, building firm Colmore Tang Construction said in November it was now expected to open in March after changes to the food and beverage offer and balcony area of the scheme.
Managing director Andy Robinson said at the time: "The project schedule has been extended to incorporate some extra features.
● Birmingham named top city in Western Europe to invest in
Birmingham was named the top city in Western Europe to invest your money into in a respected report.
In the World's Most Competitive Cities Report 2015 - which ranks urban areas across the world by industry experts - placed the city higher than the likes of Dublin, Barcelona, London and Berlin.
Birmingham was ranked in eight key sectors judged important to the global economy, including automotive, financial services and logistics.
By comparison, Manchester and Liverpool were each listed for one sector.
The report, compiled by specialist locations magazine Site Selection, came after Birmingham was announced as the UK's most investable city in the survey by Urban Land Institute and adviser PwC.
● £6m boost to complete Grand Hotel works
The Grand Hotel in Birmingham city centre will finally be restored to its former glory after a £6 million funding boost was secured during November.
The Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership and Birmingham City Council agreed to provide a grant for the renovation project in Colmore Row.
It means a 16-year wait to return one of the city's most treasured buildings will end in 2018 when it finally opens as a hotel.
● Birmingham agrees elected mayor for 2017
Birmingham and the West Midlands will elect a powerful regional mayor in 2017 after council leaders agreed an historic £1 billion deal with Chancellor George Osborne this month.
The long-awaited deal means the region will receive cash to improve transport services, training and help for employers.
There will be £36 million a year from the Government for the new West Midlands Combined Authority.
It has also promised to support ambitious plans to help the region make the most of the planned HS2 high-speed rail line which includes a new station near Birmingham city centre and a second near Birmingham Airport.
● Fracino brewing success with Company of the Year Award
A coffee machine manufacturer which celebrated its half century in 2013 was crowned Company of the Year at the Birmingham Post Business Awards 2015 in November.
Having been named top exporter at the ceremony, Witton-based Fracino was picked from all of the other category winners as the city's overall Company of the Year.
Other winners crowned at the glittering ceremony at the ICC included Escape Live which offers visitors the chance to escape from a locked room in under an hour while Paul Dransfield from Birmingham City Council and Chris Montgomery from Network Rail received a special recognition award for their work on New Street station.
● Attendances on the rise at Edgbaston Stadium
Attendances were on the rise at Edgbaston Stadium - it was revealed in November - as the city benefited from hosting The Ashes and Twenty20 cricket matches.
The home of Warwickshire County Cricket Club said it had welcomed a 36 per cent growth in the number of people visiting the stadium to 214,680 during 2015.
The announcement followed the news from the England & Wales Cricket Board that there had been record attendances at international and domestic matches this year.
Edgbaston accommodated an average of 24,556 fans on each day of the third Ashes Test Match in July between England and Australia and saw its attendances for so-called 'Major Match' increase by 39 per cent in comparison to 2014.
Review of Year 2015 - February
