The following From Hamish Birchall http://www.livemusicforum.co.uk/

St Albans licensing chief Lesley Cameron claimed yesterday that local pubs 
volunteered licence conditions restricting the number of performers and even 
genres of music.

'Some licensees seek to self-impose conditions in a bid to allay the 
concerns of residents about noise,' she said in The Publican article 'Report 
reveals extent of music restrictions': 
http://www.thepublican.com/story.asp?sectioncode=7&storycode=64847

Ms Cameron was defending the amazing array of restrictions on live music in 
St Albans uncovered in the first survey of its kind by campaigning 
musicians.

The St Albans Live Music Forum found 30 pubs with restrictions on the number 
of musicians who can perform, 45 with restrictions on the frequency or 
regularity of musical performances, and four with restrictions on the genre 
of music.  All these venues are free to have big screen sport, and most 
could have a DJ, at any time they are open.

But pubs aren't the only target in St Albans. Only last month the council 
licensed the central market area, including a specific condition for choirs: 
'... choral singing to be located and controlled so as to cause no statutory 
nuisance.'

Ms Cameron's comments are somewhat disingenuous.  If pubs volunteer to 
restrict the number of performers or genres of music it is probably because 
council licensing bullies have given them to understand that their 
application may be refused otherwise.  And it is the council that creates 
and imposes the condition, breach of which becomes a potential criminal 
offence. The maximum penalty is a £20,000 fine and six months in prison.

St Albans' licensing practice has more than local significance. The town is 
home to councillor Chris White, licensing spokesman for the Local Government 
Association, and chair of the LGA Culture Committee.  The LGA is opposed to 
new exemptions in the Licensing Act for small gigs.

Last year Mr White gave evidence on the LGA's behalf to the Parliamentary 
Culture Committee's inquiry into the Licensing Act. When asked for his view 
on live music he began:

'Live music is, like anything else which is an attraction in licensed 
premises, potentially a public order problem,' he began. 'If you start from 
that point of view, then it becomes clear what you must do...'
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200708/cmselect/cmcumeds/uc1093-i/uc109302.htm

He did not talk about the cultural benefits of live music.

Comments made recently on his Facebook site, lobbying for re-election as LGA 
culture chair, suggest that he believed licensing problems for live music 
were more perceived than real.  But earlier this month he was forced to 
retract a claim that 80% of venues were licensed for live music.  The LGA 
had to apologise for the miscalculation, revising the estimate down to 55%:
http://www.lga.gov.uk/lga/core/page.do?pageId=2765113

Despite or perhaps because of his council's appetite for draconian and 
wholly unnecessary restrictions on live music, Mr White believes St Albans 
is an example of a good licensing authority.  On 29 January this year he 
said on his councillor webpage:

'I was able to emphasise that good licensing authorities like St Albans work 
closely with the licensees because it is in the interest of the community 
and of the trade to work together.' ['Chris gives evidence to House of 
Commons Committee on crime'
http://chriswhite.mycouncillor.org.uk/archive/2009/01 ]

But entertainment licensing is not necessary to regulate noise in pubs or 
other premises. More evidence if any were needed that this is the case is 
found in this report last month, again from The Publican: 'Licensee couple 
to quit over live music row'
http://www.thepublican.com/story.asp?sectioncode=7&storycode=64415

The noise abatement order used to prevent live music in this unfortunate 
case, and many others, was issued under the Environmental Protection Act.

ENDS

At 16:26:29 on Thu, 20 Aug 2009, Roger Gall  
wrote in :

>The following From Hamish Birchall http://www.livemusicforum.co.uk/

It seems to me that if Hamish Birchall is so keen for the denizens of 
uk.music.folk to read his heavily-repetitive press releases, he should 
take the trouble to post them here himself.

(Unless, of course, he and Roger Gall are both the other's Mr Hyde...)
-- 
Molly Mockford
They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety
deserve neither liberty nor safety - Benjamin Franklin
(My Reply-To address *is* valid, though may not remain so for ever.)

Molly Mockford wrote:

> It seems to me that if Hamish Birchall is so keen for the denizens of 
> uk.music.folk to read his heavily-repetitive press releases, he should 
> take the trouble to post them here himself.
> 

We could point this out to him directly via....

http://www.connextions.co.uk/html/thehamishbirchalltrio.htm

Molly Mockford wrote:
> At 16:26:29 on Thu, 20 Aug 2009, Roger Gall  
> wrote in :
> 
>> The following From Hamish Birchall http://www.livemusicforum.co.uk/
> 
> 
> It seems to me that if Hamish Birchall is so keen for the denizens of 
> uk.music.folk to read his heavily-repetitive press releases, he should 
> take the trouble to post them here himself.
> 
.....
Quite so.

A quick bit of googling indicates that Roger Gall lives in Portland 
while Hamish Birchall lives in Weymouth, so they may well know each 
other. As to these incessant postings and his disinclination to engage 
with us mere mortals on the newsgroup, one could be led to various 
conclusions. It is a pity he is so obsessive about it. I suspect that, 
in effect, he is using the newsgroup as a free archive for the 
licensing material.

Peter

At 21:50:57 on Thu, 20 Aug 2009, Peter J Seymour 
 wrote in <PGijm.21644$Tr5.3574@newsfe13.ams2>:

>Molly Mockford wrote:
>> At 16:26:29 on Thu, 20 Aug 2009, Roger Gall 
>>  wrote in 
>>:
>>
>>> The following From Hamish Birchall http://www.livemusicforum.co.uk/
>>   It seems to me that if Hamish Birchall is so keen for the denizens 
>>of  uk.music.folk to read his heavily-repetitive press releases, he 
>>should  take the trouble to post them here himself.
>>
>.....
>Quite so.
>
>A quick bit of googling indicates that Roger Gall lives in Portland 
>while Hamish Birchall lives in Weymouth, so they may well know each 
>other.

I can just imagine their conversations - each one talking *at* the 
other, and neither one listening or replying to the other!

>As to these incessant postings and his disinclination to engage with us 
>mere mortals on the newsgroup, one could be led to various conclusions.

I've only reached one;  my imagination must be more fettered than yours.

>It is a pity he is so obsessive about it. I suspect that, in effect, he 
>is using the newsgroup as a free archive for the licensing material.

Somebody ought to point him in the direction of Blogger.
-- 
Molly Mockford
They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety
deserve neither liberty nor safety - Benjamin Franklin
(My Reply-To address *is* valid, though may not remain so for ever.)

Molly Mockford wrote:
> At 16:26:29 on Thu, 20 Aug 2009, Roger Gall  
> wrote in :
> 
>> The following From Hamish Birchall http://www.livemusicforum.co.uk/
> 
> It seems to me that if Hamish Birchall is so keen for the denizens of 
> uk.music.folk to read his heavily-repetitive press releases, he should 
> take the trouble to post them here himself.
> 
> (Unless, of course, he and Roger Gall are both the other's Mr Hyde...)

I find his postings interesting and relevant.

JF

>
> I find his postings interesting and relevant.
>


I find his posts interesting and relevant,
but also boring and repetitive

..Smurf

At 23:30:41 on Thu, 20 Aug 2009, Smurf  wrote in 
:

>> I find his postings interesting and relevant.
>
>I find his posts interesting and relevant,
>but also boring and repetitive

And I so wish he would keep them all in the same topic, so that when one 
wants to refer back to something said previously, one knows where to 
look.  It would also help if he ever read the responses to them, and was 
willing to answer questions - e.g. about the tune for the song which he 
posted.
-- 
Molly Mockford
They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety
deserve neither liberty nor safety - Benjamin Franklin
(My Reply-To address *is* valid, though may not remain so for ever.)