Members of the Covent Garden Street Performers Association (CGSPA) have opposed new restrictions by Westminster Council

Yann Elvis performing in Covent Garden. Credit: Yasmin Ahmed

Street entertainers have expressed fears that a possible crackdown by Westminster City Council on their performances could bring down their ability to make a living.

The Council is planning to raise higher licence fees for performers and introduce a ban on loud music. There will also be increased police presence in the area to tackle illegal busking.

But after protests from the performers, the proposals are being put out for public consultation next month.

The Council introduced a licensing scheme in 2021 for 26 busking areas in central London, after residents complained that street performers were causing noise nuisance and overcrowding. The restrictions included a ban on the use of amplifiers and “dangerous equipment” such as naked flames, knives and sharp objects, and on reducing the number of buskers.

According to The Daily Telegraph, the Council said the plans to curb noise and crowding do not ban busking but strike a balance between supporting artists and addressing the issues raised by residents.

Two street artists in Covent Garden, speaking to Westminster World, said that paradoxically it was often licensed artists who made the noise:

CGSPA have asked the Council to exempt Covent Garden from any new licensing restrictions. Street-style magician Nathan Earl says: “We’ve been trying to work with the council. We’ve got reasonable grounds to self-regulate and to have Covent Garden out of the scheme.”

The Street Performers Association told The Daily Telegraph that the decision by the Council to consult the public is a “temporary win”. However, the options to exclude Covent Garden from the licence or cancelling the licence altogether were given little to no consideration, they said.

The public consultation exercise will run from 8 January to 18 March.

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Street performers call foul on planned new curbs