The Stage

MPs lobbied for Licensing Act change that could save circuses

Published Tuesday 6 September 2005 at 11:45 by Jeremy Austin

Circus campaigner Chris Barltrop is urging people to write to their MPs calling on them to support an amendment to the Licensing Act that he believes could prevent many smaller troupes from closing.

Conservative MP Peter Luff is using the ten-minute rule to table an amendment to the controversial act that would establish an annual licence for travelling shows. Under the recently introduced legislation, travelling companies must apply to each authority they visit in advance for a licence, which will prove expensive and deny them the flexibility they need to quickly change sites should they have to.

Barltrop, who is also an Equity councillor, said it was essential that MPs were made aware of the situation. Luff recently talked about the issue on Radio 4’s Today programme and received much feedback from colleagues from all parties at Westminster who until then had not been aware of the situation.

“Many circus people have viewed the Licensing Act as the worst crisis in the history of their artform,” he said. “The campaign to modify the act in favour of circus has been supported by advocacy body the Circus Arts Forum, by Arts Council England, the Association of Circus Proprietors, Equity, and by individuals within the industry.”

Barltrop added: “The MP’s initiative follows a series of meetings with circus industry representatives, taking place over the past 15 months. Meetings have included three separate delegations to the Department for Culture Media and Sport ministers responsible for licensing, formerly Richard Caborn and now James Purnell. Leading figures from the sawdust ring have abandoned their colourful costumes to take part in sober and urgent discussions.”

The government has been made aware of the concerns within the circus industry through a report commissioned by the DCMS and undertaken by director of Zippos Circus, Martin Burton. He has warned that under the current legislation a circus will pay £500 per licence from each individual authority that has jurisdiction for the areas visited by a tour. This cost could mean more than 80% of British travelling circuses will be unable to operate. Circuses could be affected from as early as November 7.

Barltrop believes that Luff’s amendment calling for one licence from one authority to cover a circus for a year has a precedent in operating certificates currently required by circuses covering electrical systems and rigging. These require an annual test certificate issued by the authority with jurisdiction for the area in which the circus has its base. For a copy of the letter to sent to MPs email chris_barltrop@yahoo.com.