Clinton Pugh, the father of Florence Pugh, has taken down an anti-low traffic neighbourhood (LTN) sign which criticised the council for censoring business owners on Cowley Road.
Mr Pugh, the owner of Café Coco and the restaurants Kazbar and Café Tarifa, put up the banner in February to accuse Oxford City Council of censorship.
In the past, Mr Pugh has accused Oxfordshire County Council of “strangling the life out of the Cowley Road” and “executing businesses” through their LTN scheme.
READ MORE: Oxford LTNs criticised by Florence Pugh dad and bar owner
Mr Pugh has also admitted that his film star daughter, Ms Pugh, was forced to help him out financially to keep his businesses afloat due to the detrimental impact of the LTNs on revenue.
Ms Pugh was Oscar nominated for Little Women, starred in the Harry Styles film Don’t Worry Darling and stars in the new release ‘A Good Person’ alongside Morgan Freeman.
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Mr Pugh explained he had chosen to take down the anti-LTN banner in order to publicise his son’s (Toby Sebastian) concert at Oxford's O2 Academy on April 28.
READ MORE: Business owner says councillor has 'no respect for truth'
The council previously threatened to fine Mr Pugh for displaying the banner without permission and told him he risked paying a fine of £2500 if he was found guilty of an offence under Section 224 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.
Mr Sebastian is set to start his first debut headline tour in Bristol on April 19 and recently he spoke to the Oxford Mail about the experience of filming the music video to his hit single ‘Midnight’ in his father’s Cowley Road restaurant Kazbar.
Mr Pugh has indicated that a new banner which is critical of the council will be displayed again but he insisted that for the time being “Toby is just too good to miss”.
READ MORE: Hollywood actress Florence Pugh's brother 'excited' to perform at O2
Recently, Mr Pugh hit out at councillor and cabinet member for highway management Andrew Gant for accusing him of lying.
Mr Gant was approached at the time and chose not to comment, after the monitoring officer Anita Bradley ruled that his comments would be given “enhanced protection afforded to political debate”.
Mr Pugh, who has consistently been critical of the LTN scheme, recently told the Oxford Mail he was selling his businesses because running the restaurants had become “very stressful” due to the long-term impact of Covid and the immediate hit to revenue caused by the LTNs.
Mr Pugh explained: “I’m selling my businesses because I’m 65 on my next birthday and I want to do something else with the last part of my life because it’s a very stressful life running restaurants.”
He added: “My sites are great concepts and the best locations on Cowley Road but it is the rest of the independent businesses that I fear for.
“It’s been a tough year trying to adjust since the LTNs were installed; particularly after Covid and the painful inflation.”
In the past, in response to Mr Pugh’s critical banner, an Oxfordshire County Council spokesman said they had received a breadth of feedback, including concerns, in relation to the LTNs.
They added: “We encourage people to continue sharing their feedback with us by emailing or calling us.”
At the time an Oxford City Council spokesperson said Mr Pugh’s advertisement required planning consent from the local authority and they received a complaint from a member of the public.
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Ed specialises in writing political stories for the Oxford Mail and The Oxford Times.
He joined in the team in February 2023, after completing a History undergraduate degree at the University of York and studying for his NCTJ diploma in London.
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