Just a reminder that a submission to the consultation on Entertainment Facilities needs to be in by 26 February.

This is from my submission.

The introduction of Entertainment Facilities in this Act is like maintaining that the public still have a right of freedom of expression when restricting the means by which it is expressed.

The public are free to speak but denied the means to make themselves heard to a crowd by preventing them from having a platform or a PA system or permission to use the land they stand on.

In this case in order to express myself in music or dancing (but nothing else listed in Schedule 1) in a pub I not only need a third party's permission (which is perfectly sensible) but I need them to pay and apply for permission from the local Licensing Authority. If I play a part in organising this without this permission, along with the third party or licensee, I risk prosecution and face a maximum of £20,000 or six months in prison if found guilty.