Mr Foster and all those behind the LMB and the Govt's own proposals both need to openly recognise the elephant in the room.

The LGA Group lobby is the reason the Licensing Act so comprehensivly covered so much and it was they who provided the redtape for local govt enforcement to finish the job of strangling so much live music and other activities.

The LGA Group lobby is the reason why these proposals need to be made, why they have been so delayed and why future local govt enforcement of whatever changes may eventually be made, can still find ways of rendering even the fairest - worded legislation totally ineffective in providing any intended benefit to live music.

Behind this approach seems to be the hope of some sort of return to the days when local athorities would set their own licence fees.

This along with what can only been seen as a deep-seated prejudice against live music, a refusal to accept the added value that live music brings to all of our lives and that its treatment needs to be different to with how they would treat street-trading and taxis.

I have yet to see any direct criticism of the way that the LGA Group Lobby has acted and more importantly - no real attempt to ensure that this self-interested lobby cannot carry on exactly as before in obstructing all attempts to finally provide live music with controls that are propotionate to any direct risks which it may present.