Racing through Birmingham
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The chances of motor races being held in Birmingham City Centre seem to be one step nearer according to a cutting from the Birmingham Post sent to us by Martin Hone, the former racing driver and proprietor of the City’s Opposite Lock Club, who heads the consortium behind the promotion of motor racing in the City.
A two to one majority of City councillors has decided to seek Parliamentary powers to run motor racing through the Birmingham streets. The old City Council had rejected the approach to Parliament earlier this year, but 65 members of the new council outvoted 29 members who were against the move.
Councillor Clive Wilkinson, the leader of the Council, has said that members of the Council must sit on any consortium organised to run the project and that the City should gain some income from events. Unless there are objections from district councils, the motor racing proposal will form part of a Parliamentary Bill which the West Midlands County Council, the highway authority concerned, is drawing up to consolidate all local Acts in the West Midlands county. This must be presented to Parliament by 1976. “Practical difficulties” have been foreseen by the Chief Constable of the West Midlands, the Chief Fire Officer and the County Surveyor, but fortunately these do not seem to have deterred the enthusiastic Council members and Britain looks encouragingly close to having its own round-the-houses (or round-the-shops!) racing.—C.R.