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Back to index of Nerve 20 - Summer 2012
Liverpool Buskers Defy New Legislation
By
Tom George
In recent weeks, Liverpool city centre has been witness to a series of mass gatherings of street performers protesting against restrictive new legislation affecting their activities. Liverpool City Council's new rules, effective since 9th July 2012, require all buskers to buy a licence, public liability insurance and to participate in a booking system for a limited number of legal pitches.
Other measures range from the unfair - all buskers have to be over 18, to the absurd - all performers are banned from sitting on the ground. Any performer flouting these rules can now be prosecuted for trespass.
As soon as the legislation was announced, a coalition of street performers, including myself, organised a campaign of 'mass busks' in the city centre. The large crowds who attended have enjoyed free performances from multiple line-ups of musicians performing in defiance of the new laws.
These protests are part of a wider campaign involving the setting up of a street performers' association, the Association of Street Artists and Performers (A.S.A.P.), which is demanding a fairer policy on busking in Liverpool. A petition organised by A.S.A.P. asking for repeal of the new legislation has at the time of writing attracted almost 5000 signatures.
These restrictive laws are not a response to public complaints; they are a result of lobbying by large stores on Church Street who claim that buskers disrupt their trade. Leaving aside the point that buskers make the city centre a more attractive place to visit, this demonstrates the undue influence big business has on council policy. Within the retail-oriented 'Business Improvement District' stretching from Lord St to Bold St, the perceived interests of business are apparently more important than anything else.
We believe the council is neglecting a clear part of its responsibility to Liverpudlians. The city centre is not only about retail; it is also a social and a meditative space.
The campaign does not claim that there are no issues around street performance that need addressing, but the restrictive nature of the legislation threatens to destroy a sense of life and vibrancy in the city which is beneficial to everyone.
We invite all supporters to visit: www.keepstreetslive.com and sign the petition.
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