16 November 2009
Birmingham to learn lessons from concert crowd surge
Arun Marsh
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Birmingham City Council has admitted it could have done more to prevent a crowd surge when boy band JLS performed at the city’s Christmas lights ceremony.
Councillor Martin Mullaney, cabinet member for leisure, sport and culture said the council could have erected big screens outside the event for those unable to get in.
He said lessons will be learned from the event, which left 60 people needing treatment after those unable to get in broke through a fence causing a crowd surge.
'In hindsight, we maybe should have erected some big screens so that people outside the arena could have watched it,' Said Cllr Mullaney.
But he added he was generally happy with the planning of the concert and said officers acted 'very quickly and properly to avert what could have been a much more serious incident'.
'We were 10 minutes away from a Hillsborough situation,' he said.
The Birmingham Mail reported that high winds on Friday caused sections of a steel perimeter fence to fall over and these were then replaced by mesh railings which fans were able to break through.
'Even if we had issued free tickets, it would not have stopped those people who were seemingly hell bent on getting inside,' said Cllr Mullaney.
'Millennium Point was the only suitable venue which is big enough for this type of event.
'We were advised by the police on the numbers of officers and security staff and I am happy that there were enough there.'
MP Khalid Mahmood, who represents the Perry Barr area of the Birmingham, said the council did not organise the event properly.
'I am going to be writing to the chief executive asking who was responsible for doing the safety assessments, and what measures will be taken against those who failed to deliver in ensuring the safety of people there,' he said.
Councillor Martin Mullaney, cabinet member for leisure, sport and culture said the council could have erected big screens outside the event for those unable to get in.
He said lessons will be learned from the event, which left 60 people needing treatment after those unable to get in broke through a fence causing a crowd surge.
'In hindsight, we maybe should have erected some big screens so that people outside the arena could have watched it,' Said Cllr Mullaney.
But he added he was generally happy with the planning of the concert and said officers acted 'very quickly and properly to avert what could have been a much more serious incident'.
'We were 10 minutes away from a Hillsborough situation,' he said.
The Birmingham Mail reported that high winds on Friday caused sections of a steel perimeter fence to fall over and these were then replaced by mesh railings which fans were able to break through.
'Even if we had issued free tickets, it would not have stopped those people who were seemingly hell bent on getting inside,' said Cllr Mullaney.
'Millennium Point was the only suitable venue which is big enough for this type of event.
'We were advised by the police on the numbers of officers and security staff and I am happy that there were enough there.'
MP Khalid Mahmood, who represents the Perry Barr area of the Birmingham, said the council did not organise the event properly.
'I am going to be writing to the chief executive asking who was responsible for doing the safety assessments, and what measures will be taken against those who failed to deliver in ensuring the safety of people there,' he said.
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