Community venues to win exemption under entertainment deregulation

Venues such as community centres, schools, village halls and hospitals are set to be exempt from licensing restrictions, under plans to deregulate entertainment unveiled by the Government today.

The proposals ­– contained in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s response to its Entertainment Deregulation consultation – would also see changes to the regime covering performance of plays and dance.

In a written ministerial statement, Hugh Robertson, Minister for Sport and Tourism said: “The consultation was launched after many years of calls to reduce unnecessary regulation arising from the 2003 Licensing Act for low risk activities that hamper cultural and community creativity, restrict charities and prevent small businesses from diversifying.  

"These activities, and the many of the organisations and institutions that host them, play a pivotal role in our communities. We are determined to ensure that needless bureaucracy does not restrict these kinds of positive contribution to society.”

Robertson added that the key findings of the consultation – which received around 1,350 responses – were that “there was considerable support for deregulation, but that certain protections needed to be retained, including an 11 pm end time for deregulated performance, and, in most circumstances, a lower audience cap than was originally proposed”.  

He said the new policy for entertainment was as follows:

  • Performance of plays: no longer requires a licence between 08:00-23:00 for audiences of up to 500 people;
  • Performance of dance: no longer requires a licence between 08:00-23:00 for audiences of up to 500 people;
  • Indoor sport: no longer requires a licence from 08:00-23:00 for audiences of up to 1000 people;
  • Live music has already been partially deregulated under the Live Music Act 2012, which came into force on 1 October 2012, with the following effect: (a) unamplified live music deregulated between 08:00-23:00 with no restrictions on audiences size; (b) amplified live music deregulated between 08:00-23:00 in premises licensed for sale and supply of alcohol, and in certain workplaces;
  • The key protections of the Live Music Act 2012 will be retained, but the permitted audience ceiling will be raised from 200 to 500, in on-licensed premises and workplaces in line with most other deregulated activities;
  • Recorded music: in line with live music deregulation, regulation for recorded music (mainly discos and DJs) will be suspended between 08:00-23:00 in premises licensed for the sale and supply of alcohol. This measure, like live music deregulation, is subject to controls from the local licence review process;
  • The following are set to be exempted from most forms of entertainment licensing: community venues (including local authority); schools; nurseries; hospitals; and circuses;
  • Film exhibition: a consultation will be held in the coming months on detailed proposals to partially deregulate community film exhibition whilst maintaining important age restriction protections for children.

The Minister said the measures would be brought into effect “as the Parliamentary timetable allows”.  

A summary of responses to the consultation and the Government’s full response can be found here.

Philip Hoult