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Whittingdale calls on government to speed up live exemption
By CMU Editorial | Published on Friday 18 February 2011
John Whittingdale, the Tory MP who chairs the Culture Select Committee, has filed an early day motion in parliament calling on the government to speed through an exemption for the smallest music venues from some of the rules put in place by the 2003 Licensing Act.
Many in the live community say that rules introduced on the back of the 2003 act have made it harder for small venues to stage live music, meaning many have stopped doing so, reducing the opportunities for grass roots musicians to play. Lib Dem Lord Tim Clement-Jones is already trying to address many of these issues through his Live Music Bill, that was first introduced under the last government, and which is currently going through the parliamentary motions for a second time.
Whittingdale’s motion calls on the government to introduce the exemption for smaller venues “without delay”, noting such an exemption has been much previously discussed, that it has much support across parliament, and that a consultation on the issue was started over a year ago. Other MPs already backing the motion include Mike Weatherley, Peter Bottomley and Jeremy Corbyn.
