Kings Heath BID’s statement regarding the LTN – updated Feb 2021
Across each of the resident, business and visitor communities, the issue of the Low Traffic Neighbourhood in Kings Heath has been deeply divisive.
As an organisation set up to support all of the businesses in the Kings Heath BID area, it is impossible for the BID to take a strong position either in favour of or against the LTN as the views and opinions of businesses have varied so significantly.
So, the BID Board of Directors have taken the view that the BID’s position is to be neither pro- or anti-LTN and to support and signpost businesses that wish to comment or complain to Birmingham City Council.
In response to some comments recently posted on social media, the BID Board states the following:
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The Board has not been silent, as indicated above. It has arrived at the position it has taken following conversations with businesses and within Board meetings.
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Emails have not been ignored, however some correspondence may have been sent to an account which has not been regularly monitored over the last few months due to a break in the continuity of office staff, so there may have been delays in responding to them.
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No requests to join the Board have been ignored. Each has been dealt with individually.
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The EGM was held unlawfully and therefore has no basis in law. The BID has one Board of Directors.
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There is no question of co-opting friends onto the Board or gifting membership. There are eligibility criteria attached to becoming a Director of the BID and these have always been followed.
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Unsurprisingly, there are a range of views on the LTN within the BID Board itself. Yes, there are Directors who are in favour of it: equally, some Directors are not in favour of the LTN. This is another factor in the position that the BID Board has taken.
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No BID levy payer money has been spent on solicitor fees to keep anyone in power.
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The BID Board is not tacitly supporting any road closures.
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To state that the members could take back control of the BID ignores the fact that the BID is, always has been and will continue to be led by its members, as is explicitly set out in the company’s constitution
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Mediation is on-going between the BID Board and members who do not feel that the BID is acting in their interests. With such a diverse business community and polemic initiatives such as the LTN, this has always been the case, but inevitably, sometimes businesses will feel that their personal views are not being represented. However unfortunate, this is simply unavoidable.
You can keep up-to-date with the latest news on the LTN here If you would like to provide direct feedback or comment on the LTN, there is currently an online survey hosted by Birmingham City Council and Be Heard here This survey will close on 22 April 2021. Alternatively, you can contact the team directly via email on: connected@birmingham.gov.uk. Your feedback is crucial, so please engage with the consultation team ASAP if you haven’t already done so.
Other matters raised in the recent social media post are of a confidential nature, but any member of the BID company has a right to ask these questions and they have all been answered “offline”.
As a final point, the BID Board would like it to be known that Martin Mullaney ceased to be the BID Town Centre Manager in November 2020. Local resident and BID expert, Matt Powell has been appointed as interim TCM with effect from 25th January.