The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #54194 Message #845470
Posted By: The Shambles
11-Dec-02 - 04:25 PM
Thread Name: MU campaign - Freedom of Expression
Subject: RE: MU campaign - Freedom of Expression
Save the nation's music Churches should not be licensed Leader Wednesday December 11, 2002 The Guardian
The government's licensing bill, which reaches its committee stage in the House of Lords tomorrow, is essentially a deregulation measure. Its headline proposals liberalise the hours for licensed drinking of alcohol. But the drafters have also taken the opportunity to review the law on licensed activities of other kinds, not just concerning alcohol. The result is that in some areas of British life the bill promises more regulation and not less.
One activity that would be drastically affected by new regulation is music in churches. Under the bill, any premises which host more than five public concerts a year will be required to apply for, pay for and comply with a licence on the same basis as commercial concert venues. While musical performances which form part of a religious service would remain exempt, many other musical events, including performances of sacred works and even Christmas carol concerts, would be affected.
According to the Bishop of London, the costs for the Church of England's 16,000 parish churches are likely to add up to £2.6m in the first year of the new scheme alone. It is beyond argument that the new scheme will mean fewer concerts of every kind.
It no doubt seemed utterly logical to the bureaucrats at the Department of Media, Culture and Sport when they drafted the bill that the 1982 exemption of churches from such measures should be tidied up. What the drafters have failed to grasp is that churches are the lifeblood of live music throughout much of these islands. In villages and small towns, never mind in larger towns and cities, churches play an unrivalled role in keeping music of all kinds alive.
To destroy this life-enhancing role of our churches with a stroke of the legislative pen would be an act of utter cultural vandalism. Peers must strike it down tomorrow. In the meantime, be warned. Enjoy this year's church carol concert while you may; for, if the government gets its way, it could be your last.