Liverpool Mayor Urged To Save Pride Quarter As LGBTQ+ Venues Close

Community leaders and venue managers have appealed to Liverpool City Mayor Liam Robinson to take urgent steps to protect the city's Pride Quarter amid a worrying wave of LGBTQ+ venue closures.

Community Concerns

John Hyland, host of the podcast Proudly Said, raised the issue with Mayor Robinson on BBC Radio Merseyside, saying the area around Stanley Street, Temple Street, Cumberland Street and Eberle Street — designated Liverpool's "gay quarter" in 2011 and rebranded as the Pride Quarter in 2021 — is "disappearing before our eyes." Hyland warned that, unless action is taken, the Quarter could become "just a memory."

John Hyland is fearful the Pride Quarter could "just become a memory" [John Hyland]

Open Letter And Signatories

Hyland drafted an open letter to local politicians that has been signed by managers of the remaining LGBTQ+ venues — the Lisbon, the Masquerade and Superstar Boudoir — as well as the LCR Pride Foundation trustees, LGBTQ+ sports clubs (including Liverpool Frontrunners, Mersey Marauders FC and Liverpool Tritons RUFC), drag performers, charities and Liverpool-born musician Holly Johnson.

"The community's concerns about the shrinking number of LGBTQ+ venues, the safety of the area, and the gap between the Quarter's branding and the practical support for the spaces it represents must be addressed," the letter says.

History And Local Investment

In 2016, Eberle Street was refurbished with yellow brick road-style paving and new lighting as a tribute to the area's LGBTQ+ heritage. The work celebrated the street’s history — including Garlands, once billed as Liverpool's first late-night gay club — but Garlands closed within a year, prompting criticism that the redesign had been created around a venue that no longer existed.

Ruby slippers still feature on Eberle Street in a nod to the former Garlands venue [BBC]

Council Response

Mayor Liam Robinson said he would examine what more the council could do to support the Quarter and said Liverpool should aspire for the area to rival Manchester's Canal Street as a destination. He stressed the Quarter matters not just economically but for the city's character and uniqueness.

"Liverpool should be cherishing the Pride Quarter," Robinson said, adding that the city would not adopt the exclusionary approach taken by some neighbouring councils.

Contrast With St Helens

Robinson contrasted Liverpool's stance with that of St Helens Council, where Reform UK leader George Woodward said his group did not consider celebrations of sexuality, "especially those with left-wing political leanings such as Pride," to be appropriate uses of council resources. St Helens has said it will not fly the Pride flag at the Town Hall or allow Pride displays in its libraries. Robinson said such a position risked sending a message that certain groups were not welcome.

Liverpool City Council leader Liam Robinson said Liverpool's Pride Quarter should be be rivalling Manchester's Canal Street [BBC]

What The Community Wants

The open letter asks the council to:

• Formally acknowledge community concerns about venue closures and safety;
• Clarify what protections exist for LGBTQ+ venues under the Pride Quarter designation;
• Set out practical support and measures the council can provide to sustain LGBTQ+-led spaces and events.

The debate highlights broader questions about how cities preserve cultural quarters and whether branding and one-off investments are enough to sustain community spaces in the long term.