ALTON Town Council (ATC) has announced that it is applying for a licence to allow public entertainment at all council-controlled open spaces. This will include parts of the town centre, as well as areas such as Anstey Park and the Public Gardens. Town clerk Steve Parkinson said: "Until 2005, no one needed a licence to perform music or dancing in a public place. Under the 2003 Licensing Act, a licence is now needed for any premises where such events take place." He added: "A number of events take place on town council sites, such as band concerts in the summer. The licence fee is fixed, so the council is taking the opportunity to licence all its sites in one application." While acknowledging that not all ATC-owned sites had been used to host events during the past six years, Mr Parkinson pointed out that a licence would not necessarily change that. However, it would mean that if residents wanted to see events organised in future, these could be considered without further licensing costs. The chairman of ATC's recreation committee, Pam Bradford, said: "We don't expect as many as a dozen events each year in total, but even if just one event is held, we need to be properly licensed." The application will also cover the High Street, Market Square, Market Street, Cross and Pillory Lane, Turk Street and Normandy Street, to ensure that public entertainment events can continue to be held in the town centre. And it will allow, where appropriate, the sale of alcohol, although Pam Bradford was keen to stress that the council was not aiming to compete with the local pubs. "Things like the sale of cider at a local produce market, or mulled wine at a Christmas event need to be covered," she explained. "We want to avoid having to pay to apply for changes to the licence in future, so we are making sure that everything we can think of is licensed," she added.
