Be fair to Birmingham

No one is denying that Birmingham has serious problems to address ("Birmingham on the brink", 26 September, page 18).

None of us are under any illusions that there is a quick fix.

However, the city is taking a creative and courageous approach, breaking new ground by involving its delivery partners in developing local housing market area strategies, which take account of the aspirations of local communities and link housing investment to them. Birmingham has also had the foresight to capture the new thinking set out in the National Housing Federation's rebranding.

Surely this enlightened approach warrants acknowledgment, if not celebration? It's relatively easy to come up with top-down solutions. Transformational ways of working take a bit longer.