Fresh attack on government over live music laws

A Liberal Democrat peer has launched a fresh attack on the government for failing to help pubs hosting live music despite repeated pleas for action.

Lord Clement-Jones said the Licensing Act should be "simplified" because currently the "bureaucratic process" of putting on live music was "completely self-defeating".

Speaking on Tuesday at a highly-charged event organised by music industry network Music Tank in Central London, the Liberal Democrat culture spokesman argued things were worse for small venues hosting live music than they were in 1899.

"The government promised to do something about this in 2007,2008 and 2009 and not a dickie-bird came out of them," he said.

He also attacked the Act for allowing "everybody and their brother and sister" to object to live music in pubs.

Clement-Jones said he wanted to see a licensing exemption for venues with a capacity of 200 or less, but was not set on this figure.

Campaigners have also previously attacked the government, claiming it is "criminalising" live music with so many rules and regualtions for venues.

But later chief inspector Adrian Studd, licensing lead at the Association of Chief Police Officers, said he would not back de-regulation. "It's a recipe for disaster," he said.

Studd also strongly defended the Metropolitan Police's controversial risk-assessment policy, Form 696.

He said it was a "voluntary process" and only around 70-100 venues had it as a condition of their licence.

He added: "There's no evidence it is having a negative impact on live music."

Later the issue of noise abatement orders was raised, with licensee Kent Davis of Birmingham venue the Rainbow explaining the problems he had faced with his council after a complaint from just one resident.

"It's completely iniquitous that one person can wreak such havoc on an area," he said.

Meanwhile a demonstration on the live music issue is due to be held outside Parliament next Thursday (October 22) to coincide with a debate in the Commons led by MP John Whittingdale.

The Publican ​is campaigning for the government to relax the licensing laws around music and encourage councils to adopt a softer approach to dealing with pubs as part of our Listen Up!​ initiative.