I just tried all the links and they all worked.
The latest Stage article, containing the council's defence of its policy, is a laugh. We must all be careful not to drop down dead in a pub without a PEL.
"I am not sure he has ever admitted if the legislation is open to interpretation, do we have any concrete evidence that it is, something he can't dispute
If Mr Grainger can dispute the Government Minister's answer to the specific question about 'members of the public as performers' given to The Lord Bishop of Oxford, in The House of Lords, I fail to see anything that he will not dispute.
The Lord Bishop of Oxford asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, under Section 182 of the Licensing Act 1964, members of the public count as "performers" if they sing on licensed premises; and, if so, how local authorities can enforce public entertainment licensing legislation in a proportionate manner that is compatible with performers' rights under Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Bassam of Brighton): My Lords, Section 182 of the Licensing Act 1964 exempts licensed premises from the need to obtain a public entertainment licence where the entertainment provided consists of music and singing by not more than two performers. Whether members of the public who sing on licensed premises count as performers is a matter for the licensing authority to decide, depending on the circumstances. Ultimately, the compatibility of this provision with the European Convention on Human Rights would be a matter for the courts to determine. As part of our proposed general reform of the licensing and public entertainment laws in England and Wales, we propose to do away with the Section 182 provisions.
Roger