Birmingham council's 'draconian nonsense delaying economic recovery'

Birmingham City Council has distributed more than £200m of grants to help businesses affected by the pandemic, government figures show

A council has been criticised for "draconian nonsense" which has led to delays to support businesses recovering from the impact of coronavirus.

Birmingham's Southside Business Improvement District said it had been in talks with the local authority about pedestrianished streets for months.

The group vented frustration on social media on Thursday, but said talks had since resumed to resolve the issue.

Birmingham City Council said it was "working closely" with the BID.

The area is home to Birmingham's Gay Quarter

Laurence Barton, the director of Southside BID which represents Birmingham's Gay Quarter and Chinatown, said businesses in the area were "desperate".

"These businesses have been closed for months and we've now wasted another two months and we're desperate for footfall," he said.

The group has been lobbying Birmingham City Council to allow streets in the area, such as Hurst Street, to be pedestrianised to provide more outdoor space for hospitality venues in line with social distancing, but had encountered issues around licensing.

Birmingham Southside is the heart of the city's Chinese community but has been hit hard by Covid-19

"Everywhere else seems to have got it right and we've really struggled up to this point," Mr Barton said.

"What we're hoping is they [the council] very quickly see sense, lift some of the draconian nonsense restrictions so we can do stuff that other cities have done."

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On Thursday, Birmingham Hippodrome, which draws many visitors to the area, announced it would not be staging performances until February which Mr Barton said was "devastating news".

"The area is decimated, what it needs is the area closed off, social distancing space and something nice to attract people back to the area."

He said "positive communications" with the council were now in place and the group was hoping for "full resolution" next week.