Petition demands halt to stadium handover plans

National World - LocalTV

More than 700 people have signed a petition calling on Birmingham City Council to halt plans to outsource the running of Alexander Stadium to a private trust. Campaigners want public consultation and greater transparency over the site’s future.

Transcript

00:00The Alexander Stadium was meant to be a gift to the people of Birmingham, rebuilt for the

00:08Commonwealth Games with the promise of a brighter future for Perry Bar. But who gets to control

00:13that future is now in dispute. More than 700 residents have signed a petition urging Birmingham

00:20City Council to hold plans to hand over day-to-day running of the stadium to Birmingham Community

00:26Leisure Trust and its partner Serco until 2030. The council insists the site will remain in

00:33public hands but handing control to an outside operator without further consultation has raised

00:39eyebrows. The gym, leisure facilities and stadium were all upgraded using taxpayer cash. Many

00:45feel the public should have a greater say in what happens next. A council report claimed

00:51the move could save £300,000 a year by boosting gym memberships and cutting costs, pointing

00:58to Serco's previous success running other sites. Critics say it's not just about savings,

01:05it's about accountability, about who really benefits. Petitioners want the council to consider

01:11non-profit or community run models. Options, they say, were brushed aside too quickly. The

01:18authority says a user group will now be formed, with gym members, council reps and BCLT, all at the

01:24table. It also says new improvements are on the way including a larger gym and upgraded facilities but

01:31without clear public backing. Questions remain about legacy, about transparency and about whether a

01:37publicly funded venue can truly serve the public if it's run at arm's length.

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