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Clement-Jones relaunches Live Music Bill
By CMU Editorial | Published on Thursday 8 July 2010
Liberal lord Tim Clement-Jones yesterday reintroduced his Live Music Bill into the House Of Lords. Well, a modified version of it.
As previously reported, Jones’ legislative proposals would make various changes to the 2003 Licensing Act, most of them recommended by parliament’s culture select committee but ignored by the last government. The Bill was previously discussed by Lords and MPs, but was put aside when parliament dissolved for the last election.
The Bill is particularly focused on removing the bureaucracy introduced by the 2003 Act for smaller gigs, especially those in pubs. Campaigners argue that rules introduced by the Act have made staging grass roots gigs more complicated, meaning fewer pubs and small venues do so, reducing the number of platforms through which new talent can get exposure.
The Live Music Forum, which was set up to monitor the impact of the Act, will deliver a 17,000 signature petition to 10 Downing Street today calling for small gigs to be exempt from live music licensing procedures, one of the key aims of Clement-Jones’s Bill.
Although the Tories pre-election manifesto didn’t mention live music rules, the Lib Dems’ did, and the coalition government’s grand plan did give a line or two to the issue. Clement-Jones therefore says he is confident this time his Bill could be successful.
