Ok, here is the letter I eventually sent to the local paper (see the 'FUMING' posts above). Whether anything will come of it, who knows

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I am very disappointed in the way Nigel Beard MP dismissed the concerns of the group of singing pensioners in your recent article. Nigel says he has been assured by Kim Howells that the "cost of licensing will be negligible. Some venue could even be exempt."

This simply will not do. The pensioners sing, amongst other places, "in old people's homes." No member of the Government has ever suggested old people's homes will be exempt. Kim Howells has said the licence fee will be between £150-£500. May I reminded Mr Beard we are talking about pensioners. I doubt if many pensioners regard £150 as negligible, never mind £500. Moreover, old people's homes need to balance their budgets as well. As a manager of such a home, do you spend £500 on a licence, or just let the residents sit in front of the television for another day?

But let us be generous. Let us assume that the Government waives all fees for such events. The events still have to be licensed. Someone has to take responsibility for filling in the paperwork and making sure everything is done properly. Every voluntary group I have ever been involved in has found it difficult to persuade people to take on the roles of treasurer, secretary, etc. Now we have to persuade them to take on the government-inspired paperwork as well. If they make a mistake in such a way that the licence is not valid they are liable to fines of up to £20,000 and/or six months imprisonment. Once again, Nigel Beard says no-one "will be put in jail ... These are among the lurid stories being circulated." Once again, this will not do. The bill states those maximum penalties. If the Government insists they will not apply, it is absurd that they remain in the bill. I do not suggest imprisonment will be used, but it is, legally, an option, and I believe it should not be a possible penalty for these singing pensioners. But once again, let us be generous. Let us assume the court merely imposes a fine of a few hundred pounds instead. How many weeks pension is that?

The quotation from Nigel Beard finishes with a flourish: "The Government has not been taken over by killjoys". Well, on the 24th February, the Lords voted through an option to delete the word 'recorded' from one sentence in the bill. In plain English, this amendment allows our pensioners to sing in old people's homes without needing this licence. The Government fought long and hard to prevent this amendment but were finally defeated. However, they have not given in and have indicated they intend to reverse the amendment when the bill comes before the commons, where Nigel will be asked to vote on it.

Will Nigel vote to allow the pensioners to sing, or will he be "a killjoy"? We will see.