NEIL HUGHES HAND-MAKES LUXURY TREATS, BUT THE SPARKBROOK BUSINESS PARK HE OPERATES OUT OF IS FAR FROM LUXURIOUS 06:54, 01 Jun 2025Updated 08:28, 02 Jun 2025 A frustrated Birmingham

chocolatier fighting to keep his small confectionery company afloat says that the Birmingham City Council-owned business park he operates out of has become a 'pig sty' due to poor

maintenance. Neil Hughes is a well-known face at Birmingham's artisan and farmers' markets, sharing his skill for hand-crafting bars of luxury chocolate with communities across the

city alongside his wife Gaëlle. He's been venting his frustration that the council-owned Montgomery Street Business Centre has been poorly maintained by the council, despite

of garbage, some which he says is fly-tipped by people from outside the centre as the security gate is 'not in operation as it should be'. Article continues below "In case

you're wondering why I keep complaining," Neil wrote on Facebook, sharing a photo of a bin heap. "Birmingham City Council decided that it was fair to increase our service

charges by 123%! For this s***! Where is the duty of care????? "This problem dates back to 2022. Nothing to do with the current situation." Neil has worked out of the Sparkbrook

business centre since 2011. The council put the venue up for sale in 2019 and again in 2021. The following year, tenants within the centre said they felt the council was trying to

'sink' them. Four years have gone by since then and the site remains under council control, but Neil says that the quality of maintenance has plummeted since it was put on the

market, making him 'embarrassed' to show anyone the facility he works so hard in. "I suggested we get a second bin to accommodate the waste but the site manager didn't

seem interested," says Neil. "We asked for a recycling bin for the cardboard too. "We're trying to keep it nice and clean but it's difficult. The security gate is a

laugh. Every Tom, Dick and Harry is using our site to get rid of their rubbish, sometimes we get fridges, cookers, all sorts. "I can see why the council has got to sell but this is

their fault. It's their incompetence that has left them in a mess." Neil said that he found out that the site had been put up for sale after it happened and that while a campaign

was set up afterwards by tenants that hoped to take the centre into their ownership, he doesn't want the burden. "I don't want to buy it, I don't want a mortgage on this

site because it's a pig sty, to put it mildly," he said. "The main problems started to arise around the time the property went up on sale. I can't have the bins in my

workshop because it attracts flies. "Ever since the building went up for sale, it's like we've been forgotten about. "We don't feel we've been considered. It

seems that the council is desperate to get rid of us." Neil, who lives in Selly Park says that he's worried about the future of his business and has withheld his service charge by

way of protesting the treatment he feels he has received. He's now agreed to pay the debt back. "If I owe it, I owe it, but it's difficult to make ends meet at the moment so I

have asked for a payment plan. Chocolate has gone up another 13% from April 1, so I've been really, really careful about how much I make." Neil said that he would struggle to

afford a move and that he wants business centres that were created to help start-ups to thrive to be treated as important. "The business centres that are left should be used as a

positive asset. They're helping small businesses to survive," he says. "I'm 57 years of age, I don't know whether I can survive this year. What do I do? Retrain?

I'd have to. "I'm paying £440 a month and that went up again this year. They do eventually come and collect the bins, but by the middle of next week, it'll be the same

again. "Most of the time the toilets are absolutely disgusting too." Neil said that the issue is weighing on him, resulting in sleepless nights. "This makes me feel physically

sick," he says. "I woke up at 3:30am today thinking, what am I going to do?" A spokesperson at Birmingham City Council said: "Our service charges are calculated upon

costs received, meaning that we only charge what it costs to deliver the services, repairs, and maintenance needed by Montgomery Street Business Centre. "No profit is gained by the

council. "We have been in consistent contact with the tenants at the Business Centre to fix the issues they are facing, including the ongoing problem of the security gate. We are

determined to resolve the current issues. "We acknowledge that the waste collection service has been inadequate. Residents of Birmingham want and deserve a better waste collection

service and the restructure that Unite is opposing is part of the much-needed transformation of the service. "During the last three weeks the council has not been able to collect waste

due to Unite the Union picketers and protestors blocking our refuse trucks from leaving our depots. "However, since the indefinite injunction has been in place, our crews have now been

able to leave and we are prioritising clearing up the Montgomery Street Business Centre. "We thank the tenants for their continued understanding and patience so far and would like to

reassure them that they are only charged for the collections that are made, as is standard for all commercial businesses in Birmingham. "We are also aware of the fly-tipping occurring

at Montgomery Street Business Centre. Fly-tipping harms where we all have to live and work and is carried out by environmental criminals that have no regard for our neighbourhoods or their

well-being. Article continues below "When fly-tipping occurs, we act as quickly as possible. Our crews clear hundreds of fly-tipping reports each week, but everyone needs to play their

part in maintaining a clean environment. "We have plenty of lawful options for people to responsibly dispose of waste or unwanted items. "We are committed to prosecuting

fly-tippers whenever possible, and we encourage residents to provide reports and evidence for us to do so."