Legislative Reform Order: Changes to entertainment licensing

This consultation is about implementing reforms to entertainment licensing via a Legislative Reform Order. It sets out proposals to amend the Licensing Act 2003 so that certain entertainment activities in defined circumstances no longer require a licence before they can take place.

The proposals include:

• creating licensing exemptions for local authority premises, schools, hospitals, nurseries and circuses
• relaxing existing controls for the playing of recorded music in certain premises
• raising the audience threshold for performances of live music from 200-500 in appropriate premises
• removing the licensing requirement for Olympic wrestling disciplines

A previous consultation in 2011 sought views on removing licensing requirements in England and Wales for most entertainment activities. As a result of that consultation, the government announced a set of deregulatory measures in January 2013.

We intend that these proposed changes to legislation are made by a Legislative Reform Order (LRO) made under the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Act 2006. This consultation seeks your views on the detail of the measures to be included in an LRO, in terms of their suitability and workability.

Your views are important, and will be taken into account by Parliament when the LRO is considered. The closing date for responses is Tuesday 17 December 2013.

The Legislative Reform Order (LRO) to amend the provisions of the Licensing Act 2003 in respect of entertainment licensing was laid before Parliament on 8 July 2014 and came into force on 06 April 2015.