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John King comments:South Somerset Council's response to the consulation. "Live music and performers can be less predictable and harder to control".

"The cost to the venue of providing Regulated Entertainment.

It is our opinion, that it is this reason, which prevents venues from putting on live and recorded music, not the cost of applying for authorisation. In this area the cost of a local (not well known) band is approximately £200, with the cost rising to the thousands for those that are well known. The cost of a TEN is set at £21."

I wonder what salary the person speaking for the whole of South Somerset Council, is on? I suspect that were their workplace subject to any cost, which needed to be paid by another party, to enable them to work - I wonder if they would be quite so sure?

They simply do not understand that on top of the practical problems being presented, it is the basic principle behind it that is unacceptable. That their support of the idea that live music is presenting some sort of risk that can only be dealt with by ADDITIONAL entertainment licensing and which is ADDITIONAL to that which is required for alcohol and other activites, that is the real problem.

For the LGA Group lobby have still yet to identify the risk associated with live music that only ADDITIONAL entertainment licensing can address and which other legislation is unable to deal with or is not already doing.