Busker-gate: city council to face legal challenge

If you’ve been following Liverpool City Council’s awkward, ridiculous clampdown on buskers over the past few weeks (we’re fine with most of them except the guy who plays ‘Champagne Supernova’ on Whitechapel), then you’ll know that most of the city is up in arms about it.

They’re right to be: busking makes our streets even more animated, and we’ve been exposed to some pretty amazing music from right across the globe when we’ve popped out to Boots for some wet wipes. Plus, our day isn’t complete if we’ve not heard some surf-y guitar riffs from the guitarist and his guide dog on Church Street.

And it’s been revealed today that local legal bigwigs Kirwans are to take legal action against Liverpool City Council. Representing the city’s buskers, it’s intending to seek a judicial review over the ‘unreasonable, overbearing and unfair’ decision for buskers to pay fees and take insurance out before they hit the streets.

“This is an important campaign for our city and other towns and cities across the UK whose council leaders may be tempted to follow Liverpool’s poor example. While arguably trying to make improvements Liverpool City Council has created a problem - but it is not too late to fix it. A common sense solution can be reached to satisfy the council and benefit performers, traders and the public”, says solicitor David Kirwan.

Musician and poet Tom George recently wrote a piece for SevenStreets giving his experiences of being a busker, and his opinion about the recent clampdown.

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Your Comments

4 Comments so far

David Lloyd says:

August 11, 2012 at 9:51 am

Actually, I don’t like what that chap with his dog does to The Winner Takes It All. He strips it of all its Nordic wistfulness.
Warren says:

August 11, 2012 at 5:57 pm

There are two buskers who really annoy me in the city centre. I wouldn’t mind so much if electrical amplification was banned, it makes many of the buskers noisy and unavoidable. Some background music is nice but there is no need for it to blare down Church St.

There is one man who only sings Ava Maria, badly. He is raising money for Alder Hey but he’s dreadful and only made worse by singing in to a mic.

There is also a man from Preston who only seems to sing one song. He’s become a meme amongst my friends for being a ‘warrior, lord’. During one day in town I walked past him four times, three times during the same song (I wasn’t just unlucky, he’s always singing this).

My solution is as above, just ban/reduce electrical equipment. It’s not a contest or concert so it doesn’t need to interfere with a nice relaxing day out.
Doug. says:

August 15, 2012 at 12:15 pm

Agreed - the nasal fellow who bangs out Oasis tunes and rips apart classics should be told to go home. All the others really liven up the streets. Why do they need insurance anyways?
Pin Ball says:

August 17, 2012 at 12:02 am

Have none of you even seen what surely must be Liverpool’s WORST BUSKER, EVER - he usually skulks down in the subway beneath Lime Street Station (St George’s Hall) on weekdays and is so appalling he has to take the accolade: he has been playing the same “song” for the last 24 years and plays the same four notes on his harmonica as he mumbles incoherently some unintelligible words every couple of bars. Even the Lime Street Underground station staff are aware of his sheer talentlessness. 24 years!! I tell you! Seriously! How did this guy continue to evade the talent police I will never know.