York BID warns cut to footstreet hours would be “huge backwards step”

The man in charge of York BID says reducing the city’s footstreet hours would be “a huge backwards step for the city centre” as it would hit businesses.

Andrew Lowson said the hospitality and retail sectors were concerned about the upcoming months as they would not be receiving government or council financial support as they had been doing throughout the pandemic.

City of York Council’s executive committee is set to revert the footstreet hours – when cars are banned in much of the city centre – to its previous times of 10.30am – 5pm, as opposed to 7pm.

It would mean pavement cafes would have to close earlier.

Update: The council’s executive committee agreed to the move on Thursday Evening

For a report see this YorkMix story

The council said it would give them time to resolve issues around cafes and their impact on access in the city centre, particularly for disabled people.

Emergency government legislation allowed businesses to move tables and chairs outside without a licence to trade during the pandemic, but the council has acknowledged that this had led to difficulties in the city’s narrow streets.

But Mr Lowson, executive director of York BID (Business Improvement District), said the council was confusing the issue of accessibility and the footstreet hours.

“I just don’t see any points in going back to a 5pm because that isn’t actually being asked for, from what I can see, from the accessibility groups,” he told a meeting of the economy and place scrutiny committee. “It’s certainly not what businesses want to see.”

Disability rights campaigner Flick Williams has said the primary issue is the council issuing licences that do not adhere to equalities law in the first place.

Mr Lowson said he realised some pavement cafes would not be able to become permanent for this reason.

He added: “Now is not the time to be reducing businesses ability to trade.

“Some of the rhetoric I’ve been hearing from councillors that it was emergency legislation that’s not needed anymore – I think it is. It might not be an emergency anymore but the trading environment is still going into a tough period.”

Update: The council’s executive committee agreed to the move on Thursday Evening