Clinton Pugh, the father of Florence Pugh, and owner of Café Coco and the restaurants Kazbar and Café Tarifa criticised the council for “executing” businesses and not consulting business owners.

The new banner accuses Oxford City Council of censorship and references George Orwell’s novel 1984.

The actress Ms Pugh was Oscar-nominated for Little Women and has starred in the Harry Styles film Don’t Worry Darling.

READ MORE: Oxford Cowley Road traders produce shock business survey on LTNs

Mr Pugh said: “The council have literally strangled the life out of the Cowley Road and it is having a very negative effect on businesses.

“I wanted to show the general public the council do not want you to see another opinion.

“The way they have executed it is more like an execution of businesses on the Cowley Road.”

Oxford Mail: Clinton Pugh is pictured on the right Clinton Pugh is pictured on the right

The low-traffic neighbourhood bollards were installed in May 2022 and initiative was made permanent in Cowley in July 2022.

The LTNs aim to reduce through traffic and make neighbourhoods quieter.

The council has received a fierce backlash from campaigners, with a protest against the LTNs and the ‘15-minute neighbourhoods’ set to take place on February 18.

Mr Pugh was inspired to take action because Oxfordshire County Council was “not listening to the people of Oxford.”

He said: “No city councillors have been to see me and not any of the county councillors either before the LTN road closures were installed.”

Oxford City Council sent Mr Pugh a letter on January 13 warning that “no advertisement consent had been sought” for his old sign.

In the letter, Mr Pugh was told he could face a fine of £2500 if he is found guilty of an offence under Section 224 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

Mr Pugh said he was supportive of a greener and cleaner Oxford but was standing up for “small independent businesses on Cowley Road”.

Oxford Mail: Florence Pugh and her brother Toby SebastianFlorence Pugh and her brother Toby Sebastian (Image: Newsquest)

He added: “I’ve shrunk my business back over this very difficult time. In December, you could see business was slowing down.

“There is no point opening and losing money.

“Hopefully in the spring we will be able to open up further and survive.

“We have been displaying signs here for twenty-six years.”

“This one they obviously do not like because they do not like what it says.

“All I have done is tell the truth.”

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.

They said: “No consent has been sought for any advertisements on the side of this building. Nor does the advertisement qualify for deemed consent.”

Mr Pugh has been advised by the City Council that he must remove the advertisement or apply to the council for consent.

An Oxfordshire County Council spokesperson said they had received a breadth of feedback, including concerns, in relation to the LTNs.

They said: “We encourage people to continue sharing their feedback with us by emailing or calling us.”

A decision will be made by the cabinet as to whether to continue with the scheme later in 2023.