Latest news with #LawrenceBarton
BBC News
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Birmingham Pride to go 'back to roots' after new home search
Birmingham Pride said it is "working with the community" to secure the future of the LGBT+ festival after efforts to find a permanent home failed. Director Lawrence Barton said the festival, which attracts tens of thousands of visitors a year to the city, would be "returning to its roots" as a smaller, more community-focused event in 2026. This year is the last that Pride can use the Smithfield regeneration site for its ticketed music festival, which attracts up to 20,000 people per day and begins on Saturday. From next year, the site won't be available as it gears up for redevelopment. Birmingham City Council said it had been in regular contact with organisers and would continue to work with them to help secure its future. Earlier this month, King Charles' property company, the Crown Estate, struck a deal with Australian firm Lendlease to back the £1.8bn Smithfield redevelopment. Mr Barton said efforts to find a replacement site had proved difficult."We explored a number of potential locations for a permanent home for Birmingham Pride's arena, including extensive talks with Birmingham City Council," he said."They were unable to suggest a viable alternative that met the festival's requirements for scale, accessibility and long-term sustainability."The entrepreneur, who runs LGBT+ venues The Village Inn and The Nightingale Club in the city, added: "We will be working closely with the community on a number of transformational initiatives that will shape the next chapter of Birmingham Pride. "It's not about scaling back, it's about returning to our roots and putting community impact at the heart of everything we do." The authority said Smithfield had been a great site for Pride and recognised the important role it had played in the festival's said this year's event was meaningful, as it was the final event at the site before the next phase of transformation every stage, the development is being shaped to be welcoming and inclusive, reflecting the energy, creativity and diversity of Birmingham's communities—including the spirit of Pride itself."We're proud to have played a small part in hosting Birmingham Pride over the years, and we'll continue to work closely with the organisers and the wider community as Smithfield evolves." 'Trans community is still ignored' Birmingham Pride began in 1997 as a free community event but in recent years has grown into one of the city's largest festivals, with a ticketed music programme and a free parade. This year, some political parties were banned from marching over what organisers said were "growing concerns about the role political parties have played in fuelling a climate of hostility towards trans individuals".Organisers of the annual LGBT+ festival added Labour, the only party booked to march at the parade on Saturday, were told they cannot do said it would "continue to protect the trans community", adding laws to protect trans people in the UK's top court concluded in April a woman is defined by biological sex under equalities Echo, Birmingham Pride's director of innovation, said: "The trans+ community is still ignored by politicians at local and national level. "For too long we've been talked over, used for political gain and forced to watch as our rights are stripped away, and our existence twisted beyond recognition."
ITV News
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- ITV News
Pride uncertainty- Birmingham's biggest annual event without a home next year
Birmingham Pride is the second-city's biggest community event of the year. It brings in tens of thousands of people from across the world, celebrating the LGBTQ+ community, inclusion and acceptance. For the last five years, it's main festival site has been at Smithfield in the Gay Village. But from 2026 it won't be. Work will begin later this year to develop the 17-hectare site into 3,000 homes, restaurants and event space, costing £1.9 billion pounds. It's a project that is now backed by the King's property company. Festival organisers and Birmingham City Council say they've been working together to find a venue space for next year. But Lawrence Barton, festival director of Birmingham Pride, says he doesn't feel hopeful that the council will be able to provide them with one. Instead, he's posing an idea - to bring the festival back to the streets of the gay village. He said: "It's been a challenge with the council because they haven't found us an alternative home we desperately need. But they can't perform miracles either. "Birmingham pride is one of the largest in the UK. It needs protecting in my view. And the council do have some responsibility in that. "It's time for us to reform what Pride is. There isn't a large park or another large space like Smithfields so we're going to bring Pride right back to the heart of the gay district and it's going to become a pride village. "So it changes what pride is, it's going to be more community-focused, but it's time for change. The idea, which is in its early stages, would see roads such as Sherlock Street, Kent Street and Hurst Street used as festival sites, with main stages, marquees and street parties on the roads themselves. Southside Business Improvement District says original plans to develop Smithfield included a festival space for Pride, but those plans have since downsized. Jo Kinsella, Chairman of Southside BID, said: "Well the BID is working with the council to look at festival space actually in Southside so the Hippodrome square at that lovely rainbow we've got there. "Originally, the designs for Smithfield had festival space on there, but as the plans have changed, that's gotten smaller and smaller. So there is still quite a lot of work to be done to make sure that we can keep pride in Southside moving forward." A spokesperson for Birmingham City Council and Lendlease, the developers for Smithfield, said: 'We've been in regular contact with the organisers of Birmingham Pride as plans for the regeneration of Smithfield have progressed. It's been a great site for Pride in recent years and we recognise the important role it has played in helping the festival grow and thrive. 'Birmingham Pride is now the largest community festival held in this city and is a fantastic celebration of our diversity. It has been great to see it grow from strength to strength, and its success means it is more of a challenge to find a suitable venue, and the City Council will continue to work with the organisers and partners to help secure its future. 'This year's Pride will be a particularly meaningful celebration as it marks the final event at Smithfield before the next phase of transformation begins. Construction work is set to begin later this year; bringing much-needed new homes and public spaces. 'One of the centrepieces of the masterplan, Manor Square, will be a major new civic space designed to bring people together year-round, with active retail and public areas to support community life. At every stage, the development is being shaped to be welcoming and inclusive, reflecting the energy, creativity and diversity of Birmingham's communities—including the spirit of Pride itself. 'We're proud to have played a small part in hosting Birmingham Pride over the years, and we'll continue to work closely with the organisers and the wider community as Smithfield evolves.'
BBC News
06-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
West Midlands entrepreneur agrees settlement over liquidated firm
Entrepreneur agrees settlement over liquidated firm 11 minutes ago Share Save Alex McIntyre BBC News, West Midlands Share Save BBC GB Training (UK) Ltd was run by entrepreneur Lawrence Barton A West Midlands entrepreneur has agreed a settlement with creditors after his former apprentice training business was liquidated amid claims it owed £8.4m. Private training provider GB Training (UK) Ltd was run by Lawrence Barton, whose high-profile roles include director of Birmingham Pride. The firm collapsed in October 2020, with allegations it owed money to bodies including the government's Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) and the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA). The settlement was confirmed in a statement from Mr Barton and liquidator Kevin Mawer, which said a confidential "distribution" had been made to creditors and denied any wrongdoing. Mr Barton, who was also Birmingham's first night-time economy champion in 2022 and serves as a West Midlands deputy lord lieutenant, said he was glad the five-year process had reached a conclusion. "I am happy a line has been drawn under it with all the parties involved and I'm now looking forward to continuing my community and business activities," he added. Mr Mawer said he was pleased an agreement had been reached, with creditors recovering "some of their claims". 'Potential irregularities' The ESFA and WMCA, which funded training carried out by GB Training (UK) Ltd, had claimed they were owed £4.76m and £1m respectively, with the North East Surrey College of Technology also claiming £2.63m. According to a report from the liquidator filed with Companies House, the ESFA raised concerns about "potential irregularities" in June 2020. Among the ESFA's concerns, according to the document, was that it had contacted two people who were supposed to have completed training but who stated they "had never done an apprenticeship". The WMCA also confirmed to the BBC previously that it had written to the liquidator to raise concerns. Mr Barton said the allegations of "funding overclaims" by the ESFA and others were never proven and the settlement "in no way represents an acceptance of any culpability or guilt on the matter". "I remain concerned about the conduct of the investigation, the devastating impact it had on the company which I had worked more than 20 years to create and the loss of jobs and services to learners that ensued," he added. The WMCA has been contacted for a comment and the ESFA previously said it would not comment on individual cases. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. More on this story Entrepreneur's ex-firm faces claims of £8.4m owed
