Thank you for your interest in the Stagecoach Child Licensing campaigns.

Stagecoach Theatre Arts is leading a campaign in order to influence Parliament for a complete overhaul of the entertainment licensing structure, for an introduction of new and fairer regulations, where, to use a government topline ‘Every Child Matters’ is truly the case.

With over 36,000 students all of who at some time may require an entertainment licence to perform, it has become increasingly apparent to Stagecoach that the acquisition of the licence is very much at the discretion and legislative interpretation of the Local Education Authority in which the child lives.

The blame for this chaotic situation must sit firmly at the door of Central Government. Local authorities are not issued with practical guidelines as to how to interpret the regulations. It is left to their individual legal departments to dictate practice and application often resulting in what ‘The Stage’ accurately described as a ‘Postcode Lottery’ because the outcome of many applications is governed by where the child lives.

We view the current situation as unfair and unworkable because it denies many children the opportunity to experience professional performance simply because it is dependant on the level of competency of their local education welfare departments as to whether a licence is granted or not. These decisions are random and diversify from Authority to Authority. We feel that it would be a neglect of our duties to our students if we did not attempt to support their ambitions and strengthen the reality of their opportunities in order to help them reach their goal.

The child’s welfare remains paramount to our concerns and we believe that their wellbeing can be better protected under a revised system. Up to now, people who have no working knowledge of the entertainment industry or the demands of production deadlines have had a major impact on the end product should a child be involved. From a business perspective it affects everyone in the artistic chain and ultimately can make a very difficult process almost impossible.

Local Authorities see the granting of an entertainment licence as the end product. We disagree. The child’s working environment has to provide a safe and positive platform for growth and experience. Current LEA working practices do not ensure this as spot checks and venue assessments are rarely if ever carried out thus ignoring the real areas of potential harm to the child.

Ultimately, any progress we make in our campaign will be of benefit to the children’s entertainment industry as a whole. We hope you will support us in our pursuit of fair and more effective legislation.

Stagecoach invites you to leave your contact details and comments regarding our proposed initiative.