Entertainment licensing for small gigs has become an election issue.
On Tuesday, a Labour party spokesperson suggested that licensing minister Gerry Sutcliffe had already made up his mind to proceed with an entertainment licensing exemption for 100-capacity gigs - even before DCMS had evaluated the 800 exemption consultation responses. Last October Sutcliffe suggested that the figure would be open to negotiation when the DCMS exemption consultation was over (it closed on 26 March). http://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/news.ma/article/86573
Today, both trade papers report renewed Conservative backing for a 200-capacity exemption: http://www.thepublican.com/story.asp?sectioncode=7&storycode=66789
Shadow Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt told The Publican:
"We support the campaign to extend the exemption from requiring a licence for live music performances to 200 people. The Licensing Act was meant to support the live music industry, but has turned out to be a disaster. Extending the exemption to 200 people will reduce the burden of bureaucracy on pubs, and provide a much needed boost to the live music industry."
The Publican itself is among those campaigning for a 200-capacity exemption: http://www.thepublican.com/section.asp?navcode=399