Buskers complain over Newbury BID permit system
"I felt intimidated," claims one street performer
SOME buskers in Newbury have claimed they are being forced out of the town owing to a new permit system that was introduced by Newbury Business Improvement District (BID).
A number of buskers have contacted the Newbury Weekly News to claim that they have been told to move on by the street rangers, or have been told they can’t busk in Newbury at all.
Newbury BID decided to introduce the permit system last year, to regulate the number and location of street performers as well as ensure a “certain quality” of busking.
The system dictates who can perform, for how long and where. However, it does not provide the BID with any formal powers to move on acts who do not have a permit.
Anthony Gough, a magician and escapologist who has been performing in Newbury for a number of years, says he feels he is now unable to showcase his talents in his home town after being told his act was unsuitable.
Mr Gough, who admits his performance contains some “extreme” stunts, including hammering nails up his nose and walking barefoot on broken glass, says he has been treated unfairly by the BID.
“I was upset when they said I couldn’t get a permit because they’d had complaints,” he said.
“What you do isn’t going to be to everyone’s taste.
“I said I’d cut out the more extreme parts of my acts but they still weren’t happy.
“I just don’t think it’s fair that they get to decide.”
Newbury BID, formed in 2012, is funded by a levy collected from businesses in the town centre in order to provide additional and improved services to the commercial sector.
The BID says the permit system was introduced to reduce the amount of time spent dealing with complaints from the public and local businesses about street performers.
Buskers must now apply to the BID for a permit and are then given an agreed spot to perform for a month trial period, which is then extended to a year if there have been no complaints.
Trumpeter Colin Berry said he also feels he had been “bullied” by the BID after being asked to move on from his spot outside Tesco.
Mr Berry, a music teacher from Tadley, says he has been performing in the same spot for 15 years and never had a problem until now.
After stating his case to remain at the spot Mr Berry claims, after asking him to move, a street ranger showed him a text message apparently sent by a local business calling his performance “unbelievable cr*p”.
He said: “I felt intimidated by them. They don’t even have the authority to move people on.
“I’ve been performing there for years and never had a problem.
“You can have responsible players and irresponsible players. Some only have three or four songs and will play for a few hours, the same songs over and over.
“I play a mixture of classical, gospel and other styles and usually take a break so it’s not constant.
“I appreciate not everybody likes it, but it’s personal taste.”
Office and events manager at Newbury BID, Suzanne Young, explained how the system works on the “goodwill and co-operation” of the buskers.
Those who are known to have prompted complaints in the past or are deemed to be of a poor quality will be refused a permit, while buskers unknown to the BID are asked to send in footage of their performance.
Instances of buskers refusing to move on will be referred to West Berkshire Council’s environmental health team.
Ms Young added: “It’s very rare that a performer is so bad that we refuse a permit. In fact, we’ve only ever refused it on one occasion and that was to Mr Gough.
“If the rangers come across a new busker they will let them know about the permit system and say they need to apply.
“If we don’t know them or haven’t seen them, we ask them to send in footage on YouTube or whatever, and then we take it from there.
“The idea behind it just to try to make it fair for all and ensure a certain standard of busking, but also to support the businesses and let them get through the day with out it impacting on them.
“Our rangers don’t technically have the power to move people on so it’s all based on goodwill and co-operation.
“In the case of Mr Gough, his act was not really suitable for a street setting.
“We’d had a number of complaints from families about his act and explained this to him.”
Discussing Mr Berry’s busking she added: “We have no issue with the quality of his busking. He can busk quite well, but we informed him he needs to apply for a permit, which he has so far failed to do.”
n What do you think about Newbury’s buskers? Have you noticed an improvement in quality over the last year? Email your thoughts to chris.ord@newburynews.co.uk
