Earlier this year, the City of Edinburgh Council consulted the public on changes to public entertainment licensing laws made by the Scottish Government. The consultation was to make sure the laws were used here in an appropriate and balanced way.
In response to that consultation, the Council has now set out a draft set of new rules, and wants to know your opinion about some of the ones intended to help community organisations.
These include:
- Making permanent the interim arrangements introduced in April which exempt certain 'free to enter events' from having to get a public entertainment licence. The venue's capacity must be for fewer than 500 people and the organisers must be a community group or similar.
- Exempting any public entertainment event where the capacity of the venue is for fewer than 250 people and the organisers are a community, youth, political or religious group. This would apply even if an entrance fee is charged.
- Bringing in a new fee structure for any other events organised by community groups. This would allow these groups to apply for a licence for 12 months at a discount of approximately 50 per cent.
You can complete the online survey here or on the Council's own website.