Claims Bath's ring of steel will prevent disabled people entering the city centre have been rejected as "absolute rubbish".

Asked why the £2.1million security measures cannot be delayed while the economy recovers, Bath and North East Somerset Council leader Kevin Guy said they are needed to stop "nutters" "ploughing" through crowds and he is happy to allocate the funding.

His deputy, Richard Samuel, expects opposition to the scheme to die down when it is running smoothly later this year, with the duo both giving assurances that no one will be prevented from entering the city centre.

Access will be managed by a CCTV control room, but the Local Democracy Reporting Service's request to see the process in action was denied due to "data protection and GDPR".

Responding during a briefing on the council's budget for 2022/23, Mr Guy said: "City centre security is being implemented on the advice of the police. Our reaction to that is to prevent the atrocities that have occurred on numerous occasions for the last 10 years in cities around the world, where nutters have ploughed through the centre of cities with vehicles."

The inner ring of steel was proposed by the council after Avon and Somerset Police requested a much larger secure zone. The former is set to cost £2.1million to implement, with operating costs of £128,000 in 2022/23.

"We have a clear direction of travel with local businesses to increase the footfall in the centre of town, make it more pedestrian-friendly, have more of a cafe culture. If you didn't have these retractable bollards there would be nothing to stop people ploughing through the centre of the city," said Mr Guy.

"On the whole it's a very welcomed policy. No one is being restricted from entering. In an ideal world you wouldn't want to spend money on security, because you wouldn't need security. Unfortunately, we don't live in an ideal world. People's safety comes first so I'm more than happy to allocate funding to securing the centre of the city."

Parts of the city centre identified as being vulnerable to a potential hostile vehicle attack will be closed to traffic between 10am and 6pm, with the restrictions in York Street set to continue until 10pm.

Blue badge holders will be among a limited group able to access the streets between those hours once they are granted access by council staff. Conservatives have claimed the proposals will leave some of the most vulnerable members of society barred from entering their own city.

Mr Samuel, the cabinet member for resources, said that narrative is "absolute rubbish".

Anecdotally, disabled residents have said they have not felt welcome in the city centre for months after restrictions were imposed for social distancing. Some say they feel like "outcasts" and are taking their money elsewhere.

But Mr Samuel said: "We have the figures for people coming into the city into those restricted areas and the vast majority are blue badge holders, who are being let in without any obstruction, can do what they always wanted to do.

"This narrative that people are being excluded from the city centre if they have disabilities is complete and utter rubbish. It's a lie.

"When the city is busy as we hope it will be in the future, the numbers of people who are in that central area are huge. That's why the police focused on that area as a risk. It was very permeable to vehicles.

"There are new powers the government are introducing that give us obligations to look at the safety of public spaces. The government recognises this is a national problem for all public spaces. It's going to be calling on councils all over the country to look at their areas and say where there is risk.

"No politician could ever say 'there's no risk, don't worry about it'. We don't operate like that. We operate on the basis of the people who know best and have the knowledge.

"I'm pretty confident that once this project is complete this year and settles down, all the noise that's being directed at it will disappear. It will be a very smoothly running process and will give comfort, security and confidence to people who visit the city."

Vehicles used by emergency services; Royal Mail and ParcelForce vehicles collecting from letterboxes or the Post Office; construction, roadworks and emergency utility works; and vehicles required for major building, industrial or demolition operations will also be able to enter and use the restricted roads without arranging prior permission.

Residents, businesses and tradespeople will need to apply for one-off permits. Delivery drivers will generally not be able to gain access.