-
Period: to
Anti-busking regulations in London
-
Camden Council passes anti-busking resolution
Section V of the London Local Authorities Act 2000 allowed the council to bring in this regulation in 2013 to make it an offence to sing or perform on Camden streets without a licence. It meant that anyone who wanted to busk had to pay a fee of £19 for a regular licence and £47 for a special one, wait 20 working days and submit themselves to a public consultation and a police before they are allowed to play.
Image: κύριαsity -
Boris Johnson announces #BackBusking campaign.
The Mayor of London launched this campaign with the aim of making London “the most busker friendly city on Earth”. It was announced that the Mayor was asking a new busking task force to consider a new Five Point Plan to make it easier for buskers to play and clarify a universal London-wide code of conduct for busking. -
The King's Parade are arrested
The band, who won the Mayor’s Gigs Big Busk competition and joined Mr Johnson at the launch of the #backthebusker, had been playing at Leicester Square that month. Police arrested them after they agreed to stop playing because of concerns over the size of the crowd, but refused to give their names and addresses. Image: Youtube -
Borough, Bankside and Walworth Community Council announces plan of new licensing system
Hyperlocal publication London SE1 reported that the community council was proposing to restrict buskers to a small section of the Thames Path west of the Millenium Bridge. The plan was allegedly to restrict busking activity in the rest of the area from Oxo Tower Wharf to South Bridge. Image: Richard Parmiter -
Busking code of conduct launched in Liverpool
The Guide to Busking in Liverpool was released ending two years of hostility between buskers and local businesses that began when the Liverpool Council and the Business Improvement District attempted to push through measures to curtail street busking. The code of conduct, the first of its kind, was a result of collaborative work between the council, the BID, the Musicians’ Union and Keep Streets Live. Image: Craig Wilkinson -
Kensington and Chelsea Council discuss new licensing regulation
Busking London reported last year that Kensington and Chelsea were considering a new licensing system. It would also invoke the powers of the London Local Authorities Act that allows local councils to criminalise live street performers, fine them up to £1000 and confiscate their instruments. Image: Cragboom -
Keep Streets Live launches petition
The petition addressed to Theresa May asks her to support Lord Clement-Jones’ amendment to a Deregulation Bill, which it describes as a “unique opportunity to lift the burden on culture-makers”. It argued that London’s buskers were “under threat” because of “bad laws which strangle grassroots culture and criminalise artists and musicians”. Image credit: Leo Reynolds -
DJ Grandpa has his licence revoked
Ten days after the launch of the petition, popular live performer in DJ Grandpa lost his licence to busk in Camden after neighbourhood police officers received complaints. The Camden Council approved an application to remove his licence on the grounds that he was not meeting its conditions and that it was encouraging nuisance behaviour. He was seen not long afterwards setting up a pitch in Trafalgar Square. Image: Garry Knight -
Buskers stage all day protest against Camden Council’s licensing rules
Protestors said at the time that the Town Hall had turned the borough into a “cultural wasteland” with its licensing regulations. The council, however, still defended their stance on it. Image Alan Stanton -
Amendment of the Deregulation Act discussed in the House of Lords as Keep Street Live’s Jonny Walker meets with Mr Johnson’s taskforce
As the House of Lords discussed the need for local authorities to have “backstop powers” against buskers, the director of Keep Streets Live met with the Mayor’s taskforce established last year. A Facebook post by Mr Walker said that senior officials from Liverpool gave a presentation to representatives from all 32 of London’s local authorities on guidance to a busking code of conduct similar to that established in the city last year.
