On the release of the statement on the high level savings proposals made by Birmingham City Council, Lyle Bignon (pic), NTE Ambassador for Birmingham, working on behalf of the Night Time Industries Association, said: “The announcement of high-level savings proposals from Birmingham City Council today is incredibly alarming.

“As well as recommending unprecedented cuts to vital services like Adult Social Care, Children & Families, Housing Management and Homelessness, it is extremely concerning to see suggested savings which will directly impact Birmingham’s night time economy. Proposed reductions in funding for the council’s City Operations; Places, Prosperity and Sustainability; and Strategy, Equalities and Partnerships will almost definitely lead to a degradation in services for both NTE workers and consumers.

"There is a shared concern amongst the tens of thousands of workers who deliver hospitality and events for millions of visitors to the city, that statutory services will be affected by Birmingham City Council's Section 114 notice. The city’s NTE community calls on Birmingham City Council and Government-appointed Commissioners to review and reconsider these proposals.

“We have a unique opportunity to harness the late-night and out-of-home economies in our city to drive economic growth, employability and social cohesion. Any moves to slash financial support to the city council’s NTE infrastructures will ultimately be exceptionally reductive and damaging to Birmingham’s future.”