Council chiefs have demanded almost £3,000 from a community bowls club – to fit signs worth less than £350.
Members of the Erdington Court Bowls Club were shocked when Birmingham City Council demanded 30 years’ worth of maintenance costs up front to do the job.
The total bill was £2,870 – but the cost of making and fitting the signs to lampposts was just £321 plus VAT.
Club spokesman Ray Woods branded the charges a “rip-off” and said the organisation, which is in its 90th year, could not now afford the cost of highlighting the location of its base in Goosemoor Lane.
He said: “The cost of the signs is quite reasonable but the maintenance charges are a complete rip-off.
“It was £1,579 for two signs and £2,870 for four . That works out at between £75 and £140 per member.
“We are very disappointed we cannot proceed with this project in our 90th anniversary year.”
Now Erdington MP Jack Dromey has agreed to write to Birmingham City Council demanding a review of the charges imposed on not-for-profit and community groups. He said: “These figures seem ludicrously high.”
A council spokeswoman said the authority needed to make the charges to ensure good value for taxpayers .
She said: “When non-essential directional signs are erected on a public highway, they become the responsibility of the council. We have a duty to protect the public purse.”
