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