Clubs could face £20k fly-posting fine
THREE Birmingham nightclubs have been forced to agree a clampdown on illegal flyp-osting or face a £20,000 fine following a meeting of city licensing chiefs.
Players, in Broad Street ; Amusement 13, in Kent Street ; and The Rainbow, in Lower Tinity Street, Digbeth, have all pledged to ban their promoters from fly-posting – and remove any placards within 48 hours of being notified by police or the council.
Five more city clubs are due to appear before the city’s licensing committee next week.
Environmental health officers told the committee that the cost to the taxpayer of investigating, cleaning up and taking enforcement action for fly-posting worked out at £52 per poster.
Where possible the council tries to claim this back from venues concerned.
Two of the venues, Amusement 13 and The Rainbow, agreed to the conditions but Players protested, saying it already took reasonable steps to control promoters.
Any breach of the strict new licensing conditions could result in a £20,000 fine.
The licence reviews were forced by Councillor Gareth Moore.
He said: “They are a public nuisance, they are a blight on an area, they cost the council to clean up and are a safety hazard blocking lines of sight for road users.”
The Conservative councillor told the committee he had called many companies to ask them to stop flyposting but the problem persisted.
He pointed out that Players’ adverts including cheap booze offers – £3 for a double shot – and promoted A-level results parties aimed at teens.
Players, represented by lawyer Chris Grunert, admitted the posters did not reflect well on the club, but added that the promoter had acted without their consent against the terms of their contract.
He argued that the new conditions would not stop a rogue promoter fly-posting.