The Stage

MPs back Licensing Act amendment to save circuses

Published Tuesday 1 November 2005 at 12:55 by Alistair Smith

MPs have unanimously supported a proposed change to the new Licensing Act to prevent it from killing off touring circuses.

Conservative MP Peter Luff has put forward an amendment to the law under which circuses would be able to apply for one-off, annual licences, rather than having to get separate ones from every local authority they visit.

Leading figures in the circus industry fear that the extra cost and workload of applying for as many as 40 licences a year could force the majority of touring circuses to close once the legislation comes into force later this month.

Luff, whose bill was passed unanimously at its first reading in the House of Commons, said: “Getting 40 licences poses three problems for circuses. First there is the cost - on average around £600 per licence. Second, there is the bureaucracy - it’s really difficult for a small circus out on tour to go through all the complex formalities needed to apply for a licence. But third, and perhaps most seriously, there is the resultant inflexibility. The Licensing Act is likely to kill all but the three or four biggest touring circuses unless we make changes.”

Circus campaigner Chris Barltrop warned that circus managers should not rely on the amendment becoming law and should write to their MPs to urge them to support the bill, which receives its second reading on December 3. He added: “We simply have to see what happens next. We are very encouraged by this, but we realise that we have a long way to go. I would still encourage all circuses to follow the line of applying for licensing. It is very unlikely that any amendment would affect the legislation in its first year.”