Spudman given original pitch back in Tamworth after council U-turn
A petition to save the vendor's spot gathered over 100,000 signatures
Spudman has been granted his original pitch in Tamworth in a U-turn by Tamworth Borough Council.
A petition was set up after the council told Ben Newman (Spudman) he would have to move his trading spot as part of work to improve St Editha's Square in Tamworth.
The petition gathered over 113,000 signatures in less than two weeks.
Today (27th Feb), in a U-turn decision, the council agreed to give Spudman his original spot back, once regeneration work had finished in May.
Spudman has been a much-loved fixture in Tamworth for over 20 years, with over 4 million followers on TikTok and fans from around the world visiting his jacket potato van.
Commenting on the victory, Ben Newman told his supporters on Change.org:
“Thank you very much, and mission accomplished! We got our pitch back, and it’s all down to you lot signing the petition, so thank you very very much!" he said.
Tamworth Borough Council leader Carol Dean pledged to improve consultation with local businesses and residents in the future:
"We have heard the clear and passionate voice of our community about plans for St Editha's Square. The overwhelming response has demonstrated how deeply our residents and visitors care about our town centre and its traders.
"This decision means that Ben Newman, known to many as 'Spudman', will be able to return to their original trading location.
"We value the contribution of all our local traders who bring character and vitality to our town centre, and very much look forward to traders once again back on the square when the works are complete.
"Work is continuing as planned, and we anticipate reopening the area at the end of May, as originally scheduled," she said.