As the 2003 Act has devolved responsibility for the administration and enforcement of the licensing regime to individual licensing authorities, based at city, district or borough councils, it would be for them to interpret the Act in the first instance and determine in each case whether an entertainment was genuinely spontaneous.

This Council's view is that the gatherings went beyond spontaneous and required licensing for the following reasons:
a) They were held on a regular weekly basis
b) They were advertised on a notice board outside the premises c) They were publicised in the Dorset Echo
d) At the time the "two in a bar rule" was in existence but there were 5 musicians playing.

This is one of the best examples of the buck-passing encouraged by locally devolved legislation like the Licensing Act 2003. No takes responsibility when presented with a problem as long as the issue blame can be passed on.

From the above the only thing that is clear is that no one is any the wiser but the problem which has been presented to sessions by the local interpretation of licensing legislation - still remains.