Birmingham's Conservative leader has backed calls for a fairer funding deal from his own government, saying the city's success is essential for the whole 海角视频 economy.
But Birmingham City Council's opposition leader Robert Alden has warned Labour MPs that stepping up the conflict with the Tory government over council cuts may be counter-productive.
And while Coun Alden (Con Erdington) backs the call for more funding, he disputes the claim that Birmingham City Council is badly treated compared to other councils.
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He said: "There is absolutely a case for Birmingham deserving more funding but not because the current funding formula particularly targets Birmingham over other councils because it doesn't.
"Birmingham is at the centre of the country and is a crucial part - the engine - of the 海角视频's growing economy. It has been and it needs world-class transport and infrastructure to support that growth - there should be more funding.
"Birmingham is the best city in the country and deserves the best public services."
He pointed out there was a massive gap between public transport funding in London and other cities and the Government should look at rebalancing that figure.
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"If you are going to government to ask for more funding, and then stand outside complaining, waving placards and saying how unfair it all is, it is going to be counter-productive.
"Some Labour MPs are more interested in having a go at government than getting a better deal for Birmingham. We need to have a conversation with government, we want them to help us.
"There is a way to move the funding within the current spending envelope but let's make that case, not indulge in party political point scoring."
And he said that Birmingham's ruling Labour group needed to prove itself able to take on extra funding - not least because the authority's lack of long-term financial planning
The council is currently working on £258 million cuts over the next four years.
He added: "While Birmingham should get more money, do not forget that Birmingham City Council still has a budget of £3 billion. It doesn't help when it wants to cut school crossing patrols.
"They should be able to find that money within that budget. It does not reflect well."
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He believes there are more efficiencies to be found from the council's suppliers and contractors, something which the new Labour council leader John Clancy has vowed to tackle.
And, in the longer term, he argued the council needed to encourage more high-value property development which would raise the council tax take - too often wealthy Brummies move to neighbouring boroughs and counties.
"Over the last 40 years, we have not built high-value properties - those which raise the higher amount of tax," he said.
Coun Alden is among a growing number of senior Conservatives in local government who believe the Government needs to look again at funding.
Last November, Lord Porter, the Conservative chairman of the Local Government Association, the trade group for councils, criticised the £4.1 billion cuts faced by local authorities over the next four years.
This was on top of a £10 billion increase in costs as demand for social care rises, caused by the ageing population.
He said: "It is wrong the services our local communities rely on will face deeper cuts than the rest of the public sector yet again and for local taxpayers to be left to pick up the bill for new government policies without any additional funding.
"Even if councils stopped filling in potholes, maintaining parks, closed all children's centres, libraries, museums, leisure centres and turned off every street light, they will not have saved enough money to plug the financial black hole they face by 2020.
"These local services which people cherish will have to be drastically scaled back or lost altogether as councils are increasingly forced to do more with less and protect life and death services, such as caring for the elderly and protecting children, already buckling under growing demand."