Local musicians have started a petition to lift the busking ban. They are calling on all those who support busking to sign and share it. Photo: Shutterstock.
Birmingham City Cabinet councillors have voted to ban all busking in the city centre despite significant opposition from the Musicians' Union, Keep Streets Live and others.
There also remains serious question marks over whether some councillors actually knew what they were voting for.
Local musicians have begun organising and started a petition to lift the busking ban. They are calling on all those who support busking to sign and share it.
This new wider ban, covering the entire city centre, follows an earlier smaller ban which the Union also objected to. This is on top of the council axing arts and culture funding in the city last year.
Busking brings vibrancy to our city centres
Speaking on the Birmingham busking ban, MU Regional Organiser for the Midlands, Stephen Brown, said:
"For centuries, busking has existed, providing public entertainment on our streets. The MU believes busking is a vital part of the cultural fabric of our cities and towns, but it’s about more than that – it’s about protecting freedom of expression and democracy.
"Busking brings vibrancy, culture, and pleasure to what might otherwise be grey, soulless places, making them worth living in. This is the message we want to send to those seeking to ban busking."
Musicians are also campaigning to protect busking in London
Birmingham's ban also follows a City of Westminster Magistrate's Court decision that effectively banned busking in London's Leicester Square earlier this year.
In their ruling, the judge described busking as a "statutory nuisance" and compared it to "psychological torture techniques."
Over 1000 people have signed a petition calling on Westminster Council to provide new viable and accessible pitches to replace those lost.