Licence conditions are preventing live music at St Albans pubs

21 August 2009
Licence conditions are preventing live music at St Albans pubs

More than half of the pubs in St Albans are being subjected to "unnecessary licensing conditions" relating to live music, research has warned.

A new report claims St Albans council is exceeding its powers under the Licensing Act 2003 by restricting live music at pubs.

The Welwyn Hatfield Live Music Forum report examined the licence conditions imposed on 85 St Albans pubs and found that 45 have restrictions relating to the frequency of live music performances.

The report found that 30 pubs have restrictions on the number of musicians who can perform, four have restrictions on the genre of music performed, one pub has to display a notice advising residents of upcoming live music events and another even has a restriction on indoor Morris dancing.

John King, one of the report's authors and a guitarist, said that the 2003 Licensing Act was meant to "simplify the process" for showing live music but in certain areas it has resulted in an "overly complicated system".

"Pubs in St Albans are allowed to show football matches and use DJs but there are far too many restrictions when it comes to live music and licensees are scared of objections and heavy fines," he said.

But Lesley Cameron, principal licensing officer for St Albans City and District Council, branded the report "extremely misleading" and said most conditions were requested by the applicants not the council.

"This is not a case of the council imposing as about 90% of the conditions were self-imposed by the pub companies themselves. Some applicants requested licenses for just Friday and Saturday night. It's important that people are made aware of the inaccuracies of this report," she said.

‘Draconian' licensing rules threaten live pub music, warns committee >>

Hospitality wins court fight over music fee hike >>

What do I need to know about upcoming noise regulations? >>

By Emma White

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