This has just been posted today on the Tradtunes list:

Two weeks ago at the regular Tuesday session at the Cricketers PH in Greenwich, London, we welcomed Rod Stradling as guest of honour to receive a cheque from the Greenwich Traditional Musicians Cooperative (!) towards his work on producing field recordings on CDs.

Unknown to everyone there were unwelcome guests in the pub in the form of London Borough of Greenwich Licensing Officers. The Council subsequently wrote to the the landlord advising him that there were more than two "performers" and since some customers were "tapping their feet to the music" he was providing an unlicensed "entertainment".

So, after 10 years it looks as if this very popular, well attended and useful session will be temporarily suspended and perhaps even come to a permanent end as a result of a petty enforcement of the current PEL regs.

Of course there are other issues involved but we hope to protest against this ruling to the usual suspects (Local Councillors, Council CEO, MP, MU etc.) since the Council admit they have no tested definition of "performer" and we reject the the foot tapping ruling as facile and dangerous.

Is there any other current experience of the PEL problem which might help us?

Doug Adams

WassaiL! V