It all stems from the UK Government's desire to do away with the existing two-in-a-bar rule, which allows up to two performers to appear in a venue or pub without a licence. If the Licensing Bill as it stands becomes law, this will no longer be possible. The concern expressed by those most directly affected - the musicians and the venue owner/operators - is that the replacement Bill will mean a lot more paperwork, will prove costly, and could do some serious damage to the UK live music industry.
The pro lobby believe that the Bill is well intentioned and will update archaic licensing laws, clamp down on some of the UK's more worrying criminal and anti-social behaviour, and ultimately lead to improved levels of safety.No-one is disputing the need for all these issues to be addressed: those opposed to the Bill are simply asking that the anomalies contained within it are dealt with, and that existing legislation is allowed to do its job - they argue that the government's concerns about safety and noise are already met by existing legislation. Recognizing this, the House of Lords recently recommended that all small entertainment venues such as pubs - where live music is provided to an audience of less than 200 and where the entertainment finishes before 11.30pm - should be exempt from requiring entertainment licences for live music. When the amendments were returned to the House of Commons, they were rejected on health and safety and crime and disorder grounds.
So we seem to have reached an impasse. However, to prevent the Bill failing, the government will now surely look to find some common ground where concerns about noise and safety are dealt with, whilst preserving traditional entertainment in pubs and clubs.
