The backbench councillor making an audacious leadership bid is hoping to gain support by creating more top jobs for colleagues.

Birmingham's 77 Labour councillors meet in private on Saturday to decide whether to reappoint current leader Sir Albert Bore or back the challenge from Quinton councillor John Clancy.

Earlier this week Coun Clancy, and his running mate Barry Henley, issued a manifesto of voter-friendly pledges - including free meals for all primary school children and a massive housing building drive.

Now, in a bid to secure more support, Coun Clancy has proposed to increase the number of £45,000-a-year cabinet members from eight to 10 and paid roles on backbench scrutiny committees.

In a letter to members, he said: "We need to know who is responsible for what. We must increase the size of the cabinet and return to a range of clearly defined cabinet roles such as housing, transport, finance.

"We are legally entitled to a 10-member cabinet so we should appoint a 10-member cabinet."

While his first manifesto paper focused on policy, this follow up concentrates on council structures - a direct appeal to the Labour councillors who vote on the leadership.

And in a bid to bolster the role of the humble rank and file councillor, he has pledged to restore the committee system of running services, replacing the current cabinet set up and give more support and power to local wards.

He said: "Decisions are currently made by the cabinet and executive without a clear, scheduled, democratic opportunity for members to influence them.

"The Labour group will be involved in directly running the city's services for the first time in 15 years, rather than a selected few.

"The committee system worked well for the city in the past. We now have the option to return to it."

He also proposes an overhaul of the monthly council meeting with separate question time sessions and online public question time.

Sir Albert has not spoken in public but colleagues argue he has the experience to see the council through the difficult cuts ahead.

One supporter said: "Clancy clearly is offering a paid job to anyone who he thinks will support him.

"I  wonder if this has been properly costed. He does not seem to have considered the scale of government cuts coming."