The Stage

DCMS looks to cull live entertainment licensing

Published Thursday 26 May 2011 at 13:34 by Alistair Smith

Tourism minister John Penrose has announced that the government is proposing to scrap “bonkers” regulations which are stifling live entertainment in the UK.

The Licensing Act 2003 was introduced by the last government and came into force in 2005. The law was intended to simplify the system of alcohol and entertainment licensing, with ministers initially saying the act would allow live entertainment to flourish.

However, campaigners - especially from the music industry - have long claimed the regulations have created an additional financial and administrative burden for small-scale entertainment venues, and that they were putting off many of these smaller sites, such as pubs, from hosting live entertainment.

Any form of live entertainment that admits the general public or makes a charge for attending - from a solo acoustic musician playing in a pub to a fringe theatre performance or a large-scale concert or play - requires an entertainment licence. The current cost of a licence ranges from £100 to £1,905.

Penrose told The Stage: “There has been a chorus of concern and complaint from right the way across the entertainment world - from the music industry to people putting on plays - but also from within the voluntary sector. They have been saying these are needless pieces of red tape which are stopping people enjoying themselves, providing fun and enriching the lives of others. While we understand that we need to make sure audiences are properly looked after and in a safe environment when they are watching something or experiencing something, this goes too far.”

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport says it will launch a consultation next month about cutting entertainment licensing regulations from within the act “apart from where there is a clear and overriding need for additional protections, such as safety for spectators and noise nuisance for neighbours”.

It is proposed that the only events where a licence would be needed would be ones where alcohol is available (covered by the alcohol licence), those on a “very large scale attracting thousands of spectators” and for adult entertainment. According to the DCMS, the government “believes it should be easier to put on entertainment, while at the same time tightening up on the sale of alcohol”.

Penrose said he hopes the proposed changes will make a practical difference to the entertainment sector.

He added: “It certainly can’t hurt. Depending on who you talk to, the entertainment sector is pretty unanimous that the Licensing Act has been stifling and it hasn’t helped at all, and that smaller venues have been closing pretty steadily. It should improve things and I hope it should have a knock-on impact at an even more local level with small community groups as well. I hope we will see a flowering and a flourishing at this level.”

The DCMS is working on a consultation document, which it intends to publish next month. This will then be put out to interested parties - from the entertainment sector, licensing authorities and the police - for their views. Penrose added he hoped that following the results of this, the DCMS would “get something done this year, certainly”.