The Evening Standard: High Court backs £1,000 fines for Camden buskers

The Evening Standard: High Court backs £1,000 fines for Camden buskers

Published by The Evening Standard on 11th March 2014.

See the Evening Standard article here.

New licensing restrictions on buskers in Camden have been declared lawful by the High Court.

Comedians Mark Thomas and Bill Bailey and musician Billy Bragg are among celebrities who protested over changes introduced after noise complaints by residents.

Busking without a licence is to become a criminal offence in Camden, punishable with fines of up to £1,000. Bragg, who used to busk in London, said licensing would hurt a fundamental aspect of British culture.

But Mrs Justice Patterson ruled today Camden Council’s policy was “both necessary and proportionate”.

The ruling was a defeat for the Keeping Streets Live Campaign, which was ordered to pay £7,500 in costs. Appeal permission was refused, meaning the campaigners must now face the Court of Appeal.

This post was written by
Singer-Songwriter/Professional Street Performer/Campaigner/Wandering Minstrel

3 Comments on "The Evening Standard: High Court backs £1,000 fines for Camden buskers"

  • Jonny says

    I can only say that whatever you think of this planned meeting I can see no good reason for your to boycott it. Your presence there may help give voice to the very real concerns that you raise.

  • A scheme which requires people to get a ticket from a council official before they busk places the power to arbitrarily exclude a performer into the hands of a state official (or is a Town Host employed by the BID in which case even worse!) is not a victory in the sense that I understand the word.

  • As a guitarist/singer with an amp I would have found Statford’s advisory ‘ban’ on vocals to be prejudicial and unworkable so can hardly take issue with a busker who ‘breaks a code’ by using one.

    I feel like it would be unwise to comment about an incident about which the facts as I understand them are disputed. Suffice it to say that regrettably conflict is not uncommon on the streets and attempting to resolve it amicably is one of the challenges of being a busker.

    I’ll make a comment about the words ‘noise nuisance’. These words in combination have a particular meaning which does not extend to a dislike of a particular musical style or singer. It concerns me when people within the busking community use descriptions like this about people who are effectively their colleagues (or competitors) if you prefer.

    It seems to me an unhelpful way of building better relationships in the busking community.

    As for Statford’s ticket system any system which seems to privilege administrative convenience over the rights of access to public space (whatever your stylistic affectation might be), and places the power over a person’s livelihood into the hands of an unelected official is questionable to say the least. That you present this arrangement as a victory for civic democracy is telling.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.