Ministers finally agree to revise child licensing guidelines

Published Wednesday 18 June 2008 at 12:50 by Alistair Smith

Exclusive: The government has bowed to a three-year campaign to end the so-called ‘postcode lottery’ over child performer licensing and agreed to issue new guidelines to hundreds of local authorities in England.

This marks a significant U-turn as ministers had until now refused to become involved in what they claimed were local issues. The problem was first highlighted by The Stage more than three years ago and, as recently as this March, Gordon Brown was still refusing to change legislation or issue revised guidelines.

A petition earlier in March, signed by all areas of the entertainment industry, calling on him to do so and complaining that the situation was threatening child safety and preventing youngsters from appearing on stage, failed to sway the prime minister.

However, after Stagecoach - the UK’s largest stage school franchise - delivered a second, larger petition to Downing Street, featuring more than 10,000 signatures, the Department for Children, Schools and Families has made its first concession that changes are needed to prevent local councils from misinterpreting current laws and refusing to grant licences so children can appear in professional theatre productions.

Kevin Brennan, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Children, Young People and Families, has written to head of Stagecoach Agency Tarquin Shaw-Young, saying: “I understand the concern people have about the risk of [a] ‘postcode lottery’ that arises where local decision-making is involved… While it is not our intention to introduce further changes to the law on child performance, we are planning to issue revised guidance that we hope will help to clarify the law in this area.”

Meanwhile, Brennan has also agreed to meet with Young to discuss a new prototype licence which Stagecoach has designed, although a date has yet to be set for the meeting.

Young welcomed the development and said it represented a significant step forward from the prime minister’s initial response.

He said: “It’s more of a breakthrough than Gordon Brown’s little four-line reply to the previous petition we sent in. I’m overjoyed that they have replied to us in such a swift fashion and they have promised changes. What is clear to me is that they don’t have a concept of how bad children’s licensing is. What I would like is that we could become one of the advisors on child licensing. We’re the only agency which deals with every Local Education Authority in the country.

“What excites me is the fact that Kevin Brennan has agreed to meet me and look at the prototype licence and hopefully will look at creating guidance. If you can get interim guidance then you don’t actually need to change the legislation that much. All these things are great, if they keep to their word. Also, it helps having Ed Vaizey [Conservative shadow culture minister] in the wings - he has been very helpful.”

Vaizey, who has helped Stagecoach with its campaign and accompanied representatives of the stage school to Downing Street last month, told The Stage he was “delighted” there had been some movement from the government.

“Originally, Ed Balls [Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families] said everything was fine and rosy and he wasn’t going to do anything,” added Vaizey. “Now that we’ve raised the profile with a 10,000-person petition and a march on Downing Street, I very much hope we can have some clear guidelines which will encourage local authorities to assist young people in taking up these invaluable opportunities.”