Peter Stringfellow, the Lap Dancing Association and licensing
minister Gerry Sutcliffe will be among the witnesses this morning at the
final evidence session of the Culture Committee inquiry into the Licensing
Act. The venue is the Grimond Room, Portcullis House, from 10.30am:
http://www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_committees/culture__media_and_sport/meetings.cfm
The Committee has also now published uncorrected minutes for the 11 November
evidence session featuring Feargal Sharkey:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200708/cmselect/cmcumeds/uc1093-iii/uc109302.htm
It is clear from the transcript that representatives of the licensed trade
now agree that the Act has hit small gigs hard.
Nick Bish, Chief Executive of the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers,
claimed that music expenditure had fallen by 19% as a result:
'ALMR has certainly recommended re-examination of what used to be called
the two in the bar rule that disappeared at the time of the Act and we
regretted that at the time because our own ALMR benchmarking research
has shown that the music expenditure has gone down by 19% as a proportion
of sales, which is an awful lot, and we believe that it is the informality
of local entry level music, if you like, in pubs that adds to the type
and style of the pub - it calms people down in the context of alcohol;
it enlivens them in the context of music, you could say. We miss that
and we would strongly urge the Committee to ask that that be revisited
in any future amendments.'
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200708/cmselect/cmcumeds/uc1093-iii/uc109302.htm
ENDS
Hamish Birchall
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