AT LEAST 30 employees at The Bended Elbow have lost their jobs following the indefinite closure of the hotel.The Lydiard St Nth venue closed its doors on Tuesday after problems were detected during a routine fire safety inspection.Conducted by the Country Fire Authority two months ago, the inspection identified a number of problems, but the details have not been disclosed to The Courier.Ballarat City Council later issued the owner with a building notice outlining improvements that needed to be made to the venue.The Bended Elbow's manager Stefan Gillberg said the owner had since chosen to close the business until the issues were resolved."The business owner has spoken to lawyers and has been forced to close down until this matter is sorted out," Mr Gillberg said.While he blamed the council for the venue's abrupt closure, he said he hoped the business would reopen in the coming weeks or months."We've been targeted by the council and the fire department who have gone overboard with an inspection they did," Mr Gillberg said."Council has caused 30 or so people to lose their employment in Ballarat."However, the council's chief executive officer Anthony Schinck said the council had "certainly not required The Bended Elbow to cease trading at all"."There were fire safety concerns raised with us by the CFA, after which we undertook an inspection with the fire authority and worked with The Bended Elbow to address those concerns," Mr Schinck said.A CFA spokeswoman said the routine inspection of the venue had identified "some issues that needed maintenance or rectification".The Bended Elbow opened in the former Grand Hotel building in 2006 following an extensive seven-month renovation of the building.It is home to a bistro, three function rooms, a nightclub, and five bars.