Youngsters stage protest at No 10

May 23 2008 by Rebecca Edwards, Chester Chronicle

YOUNG performers took the fight to reform child performance licences to the steps of Downing Street.

Penny Mitchell, 11, of Bishops’ High School, and Gemma O’Connell, 13, of Upton High School, were among 25 Stagecoach theatre students chosen to hand in a petition to 10 Downing Street.

They want Gordon Brown to simplify the current laws on stage licences, obligatory for under 16s before they can perform professionally.

The girls were chosen because they each collected several hundred signatures on a petition to standardise the procedure for getting a licence.

George Partington, who runs Chester Stagecoach, explained that local authorities are legally obliged to process a licence application within 21 days, but it can vary widely across the country.

He said: “We deal with about nine or ten different authorities and their lawyers all interpret the laws differently.

“Some of them say they haven’t got time, others have different policies on children missing school – it is very unpredictable.

“The authorities in this area are generally very good but in other parts of the country children miss out on parts because after several weeks their licence hasn’t been processed.”

Gordon Brown was not at home when Penny and Gemma called to see him, but they were given afternoon tea at the Houses of Parliament by shadow minister for the arts, Ed Vasey.