Under the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act of 2010, free arts events will have to pay up to £7500 for an ‘arts licence’.

This appears to be an even more draconian version of the UK Licensing Act 2003, which has had a devastating effect on the live music scene in England and Wales.

The idea that free, grassroots arts events need to buy a council licence before they can put on a show means the death of independent civic life. We need a licence before we can leaflet, sing, dance, or show art.

This sort of rule penalises the smaller and more vibrant arts events, which cannot cope with the costs and the bureaucracy.

There is uproar from artists in Glasgow – let’s hope that something can be done to modify this draconian law.

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/warning-new-law-puts-city-art-scene-in-danger.16724126?_=cf217d30e8b6734c61d5367049dec6207e80018e