Birmingham FOI request.

Birmingham FOI request.

The proposals that have been put forward by Birmingham City Council to ban all busking in two of the best pitches in the city (around Temple Street and by the Rotunda) are an excellent example of how, all too often, the powers that be (in this case the Environmental Health Department) can overreact when complaints are received about buskers. In their consultation, which appears heavily biased towards confirming the introduction of a PSPO (Public Spaces Protection Order), they cite the fact that they have received 114 noise complaints in 6 months. Which sounds like quite a lot. But we recently received the results of a FoI request that gave us an insight into the details of these complaints.

 

We expected them to paint a different picture to the one that the council was trying to portray; we did not expect the results to be as drastic as they were. There is a fair amount of detail to go through, but the main points are as follows:

  • Of the 114 complaints, at most, 88 were about busking (there were a small number where the source of the complaint was not recorded, so I have included these in the busking total).

  • In the Temple Street area, a maximum of 80 complaints relating to busking were received. Remarkably, 77 of these were from the same person.

  • In the Rotunda area, there was just one complaint relating to busking in the 6 month period.

 

There were a small number of complaints about busking in other areas of the centre, all of which are included in the 114 figure.

 

Ultimately, this ban has been proposed on the basis of the actions of one man, a local resident in the vicinity of Temple Street who is known to buskers in the area as being violent and aggressive towards street entertainers.

 

The idea that a busking ban is needed in the area near the Rotunda is even more absurd. Although there have been complaints about preachers in the area, the idea of introducing a ban against buskers on the basis of a single complaint over a 6 month period is clearly a ridiculous one.

 

We have had positive engagement with those behind the proposals and we hope that, having seen this data, they will agree that a busking ban in these areas would be an unreasonable reaction to what is clearly not as much of a problem as has been portrayed.

 

If you would like to add your voice to the many people who have been trying to persuade the council the change their minds over this, you can fill in the consultation here before the 22nd February:

 

https://www.birminghambeheard.org.uk/people-1/citycentrenoisepspos/

-David Fisher

Save Your Brum Buskers

Save Your Brum Buskers
We’ve just received an email from Birmingham saying that are proposing to ban the use of amplification AND musical instruments from the main pitches along and adjoining New Street.
Clearly this would have a catastrophic effect on those busking in the city, and would also result in them being displaced to other locations that would likely be more residential and noise sensitive.
Please have a look at the published proposals and make your thoughts known.
What is very concerning about this consultation is the way it ‘leads’ the participant towards a particular response. The video itself is not representative of the normal activity in the proposed restricted area, and also has very little relevance to busking, which is what the order targets rather than noise nuisance from other sources. It requires fairly considerable effort and intelligence to actually fill it out in a way that expresses opposition to the imposition of the policy. Of course certain behaviour is not acceptable but it doesn’t follow that all busking needs to be controlled or that a PSPO is needed, or that it would be the most effective way of dealing with any problems that do arise.
Please also sign and share our petition against the measures here.
#SaveBrumBuskers
#SayNo2PSPO

An outbreak of common sense..

An outbreak of common sense..

“…it was a handful of businesses trying to unfairly make things harder for buskers. They (Trafford Council Executive Committee) were of the view that if there is a problem busker, it should be dealt with reasonably and proportionately on a case by case basis and that in the main, the buskers are a welcome addition to the town who make it an enjoyable place to shop and socialise.”-Helen Grant. Strategic Manager:Crime and Antisocial Behaviour.

In March, thanks to local media, we became aware of a consultation on busking in Altrincham, to the south of Manchester. At first we were not aware of the exact nature of the proposals but they certainly included measures that would make busking in the town problematic and considerably reduce its viability as a destination for street performers. In particular a suggested ban on amplification and a time limit of an hour on any pitch stood out as pernicious, unworkable and unnecessary.

A public online consultation did take place, closing on 6th April, which a number of our supporters completed. However, as we know from experience, these are often loaded in favour of a particular outcome or simply ignored if the desired outcome is not produced.Keep Streets Live also made a submission as an organisation outlining the work we had done in York, Carlisle, Chester and others and suggesting we try and work out something similar as an alternative.

Fortunately we found a sympathetic ear in Helen Grant, who had been charged with overseeing the project. I was able to arrange a meeting on 18th May. It was a warm day and town was busy, so it was perfect for a bit of a busk and a wander round to get an idea of footfall, potential pitches, issues etc. We looked at various parts of the proposals and I was able to show how firstly they would deter decent buskers in the first place and secondly how they were not practical solutions to the ‘problems’ that the town was apparently experiencing.In many cases they would have forced buskers to use locations which were actually less suitable and more likely to cause disruption.

We were able to make some profound changes to the proposed code over the next couple of weeks to the point that KSL was happy to give our approval. Job well done so we thought..

However today I’ve received an email that the whole thing is to be scrapped as the Executive Committee feels the only ‘problem’ is the businesses that have been complaining and all that is needed is some common sense applied on a case by case basis.

#BeLikeTrafford