![\"Birmingham](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/0_JS222964549.jpg\")
Birmingham Centenary Square fountains at night(Image: flickr\/ Manoo Mistry)<\/p>\nBirmingham City Council has said the city centre fountains were turned off back in October 2023Birmingham Centenary Square fountains at night(Image: flickr\/ Manoo Mistry)<\/p>\n
A key feature of a landmark Birmingham city centre space has not worked for more than 18 months – and the council cannot say when it will be back in action.<\/p>\n
The fountains in Centenary Square have not been in use since October 2023. And no date for their return to action was put forward when we asked for an update this week.<\/p>\n
The square\u2019s new look was unveiled in 2019, with one councillor describing it as a \u201cworld-class public space where people can stop and take in the incredible things around them\u201d.<\/p>\n
READ MORE:<\/strong> Fury over proposed charges at key Birmingham parks as MP says users are \u2018paying the price’<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Greater Birmingham<\/a> and Solihull<\/a> Local Enterprise Partnership said at the time it would \u201creinforce Birmingham\u2019s status as a global city\u201d.<\/p>\n Despite the square serving as a symbol of Birmingham\u2019s recent transformation and ambition, the fountains in the \u201cworld-class\u201d space have now been switched off for around a year-and-a-half.<\/p>\n A spokesperson for the city council<\/a> said last September the fountains had not been operational since they were turned off to facilitate the Ice Skate Birmingham event in October 2023.<\/p>\n \u201cSince then, scheduled annual maintenance was carried out, which found additional remedial work was required which is currently ongoing,\u201d they continued at the time.<\/p>\n Asked for an update on the fountains this week, around eight months later, the council said an approvals process regarding spending was taking place and it was \u201cexpected\u201d the fountains would be serviced and switched back on afterwards.<\/p>\n It did not say when this could happen despite being asked by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS)<\/a> if they had a rough date.<\/p>\n \u201cCurrently there is Section 151 [finance] spend approvals process in progress,\u201d a council spokesperson said. \u201cAfter which, it is expected the fountain will be serviced and brought back into operation.\u201d<\/p>\n ‘This is not a trivial thing’<\/strong><\/p>\n One Birmingham resident spoke to the LDRS recently about his growing frustration as the wait over the square\u2019s fountains drags on.<\/p>\n![\"Centenary](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/0_JS205532242.jpg\")
Centenary Square in 2020(Image: Graham Young \/ BirminghamLive)<\/p>\n