Former mayor condemns cafe plan

A former Wolverhampton mayor today condemned plans to charge cafe owners 200 per cent more for putting tables and chairs on the pavement as "absolutely atrocious".

Councillor John Rowley said council bosses would be making a grave mistake if they went ahead and imposed the staggering increase at a licensing meeting tomorrow.

As the Express & Star reported last week, the authority wants to increase the fees to £750 from £250, despite cafe owners saying they are already suffering from the credit crunch.

Councillor Rowley said: "I think it is absolutely atrocious – a fee for putting tables and chairs outside should never have been introduced in the first place if you ask me.

"People in this city talk about having a cafe culture, and I go to places like Birmingham and Bristol and know how good it can be. If we go ahead with this charge, we will price that initiative out of the market, it's as simple as that.

"I have very strong views about this because it will help humanise the consumption of alcohol. We need to be encouraging a cafe culture in the city, not discouraging it.

"People do like to be outside, a classic example of this is how well it works on the route down towards the Bull Ring.

"The rise would be a disaster and send out a very negative message to entrepreneurs in the city." The licensing committee was taking a vote on the proposal today, with officers recommending that the increase comes into force immediately.

It will apply to all businesses that want to place tables and chairs outside, including pubs.

Councillor Rowley, who represents the Blakenhall ward, is a member of the licensing committee, but is unable to attend the meeting tomorrow.

Cafe owners in Wolverhampton have also criticised the rise, with Mike Perkins, who runs Madame Clarke's in King Street, describing it as a money grabbing exercise.

The council claims that the current £250 fee, which was set back in 2006, does not cover the licensing costs and that £750 is "more realistic" because every time a business applies for tables and chairs outside the authority must consult the public on the proposal.