We (trac) have a meeting with the Minister for Heritage of the Welsh Assembly Government on 17th January to present the petition we've been putting together over the last 6 months. It calls for the Westminster Government to change the law according to the Live Music Forum recommendations but (and this is the reason we're going to the Assembly) it calls on the Assembly to offer Wales, as a distinct 'region', to trial the changes.

We've worked with Hamish on this and we're playing on the fact that the original process 'forgot' that Culture and Local Authorities were devolved powers to Scotland and Wales (and N Ireland?) so there should have been more formal consultation at the start. Also, that we now have a coalition government and allowing people to sing in pubs in Wales is one issue that both Welsh Labour and Plaid Cymru should agree on. We also have a friendly Liberal Democrat in the Assembly who feels strongly about this, and there's no way the Tories would come out against singing in Wales so ...

... We'll see how we get on.

sian


sian