Churches to be charged for fund raising

12.00.00am GMT Tue 10th Dec 2002

MP Vincent Cable has supported a motion in parliament (Early Day Motion 208) calling for changes to the Licensing Bill, now before parliament, which will require entertainment licenses for all venues putting on over 5 public performances a year.

This could seriously affect churches and church halls. Fund raising for charities and community events will become more expensive and difficult to organise.

Vincent Cable said: "This is a really remarkably silly and petty proposal: a triumph of bureaucracy over common sense and reasonableness."

"In this area there is an enormous amount of active community and charitable fundraising centred on the churches and it would be disastrous if it were to be undermined by a ham-fisted government money raising scheme."

"I shall join with other MPs in other parties to stop it".