The chief executive of Britain's largest local authority is to step down from her #170,000-a-year job at Birmingham City Council.

Lin Homer, who is one of the country's highest-paid civil servants outside London, will leave the council in August after just over two-and-a-half years in the position.

She will take up a new role as director general of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate at the Home Office.

The organisation has responsibility for immigration, border control, asylum and citizenship and nationality.

The move brings to an end an eventful time at the helm of Birmingham City Council for the professional solicitor.

She was criticised by election court judge Sir Richard Mawrey QC earlier this year after five Labour councillors manipulated postal votes to rig the vote in last year's local authority elections.

Other problems she has had to deal with include the continued under-performance of the local authority's social services department.

Since she took over, it has failed to achieve any stars in Government ratings for key services.

See Tuesday's Birmingham Post for more on this story