Restrictions on Busking – Freedom in Everyday Life

Councils have used Public Spaces Protection Orders and other powers to restrict busking in town and city centres.

This briefing below is co-published by the Campaign for Freedom in Everyday Life and Keep Streets Live, and gives a review of who has banned what.

We are calling for a rolling back of these restrictions, and the use of voluntary codes and negotiation to deal with problems when they arise.

The crackdown on busking

Statement by David Fisher, director, Keep Streets Live

Twelve years ago a law was introduced that gave councils the power to ban pretty much anything they want to ban in any given area. It is called the Public Spaces Protection Order, and a great many councils have started using it against busking. When the law was introduced, busking came up in the discussions, particularly in the House of Lords, and it was stated that these powers should not be used against buskers where they are not causing anti-social behaviour. But because there is so little oversight of what goes into these orders, and no real enforcement of the guidelines or any of the promises that were made, councils up and down the country have been using them to make busking unviable – most often by restricting amplification.

We could have a reasonable debate about the level of amplification that is acceptable when you are busking. But if you are, say, a classical guitarist going out to play in a busy city centre, it is completely unfeasible to perform without it. A blanket ban on amplification also discriminates between instruments: you cannot sit and tinkle on a classical guitar through a five-watt amp, yet you can play the bagpipes, with no permission at all, and blast out a whole town centre. That is not sensible policy. And it is unnecessary, because there are already laws in place that councils can use against buskers who are genuinely too loud or genuinely causing a nuisance. A blanket ban on amplification is simply not a reasonable way of dealing with that.

Some councils have gone further still and banned busking outright, and Birmingham is one of the worst offenders. I remember outlining to Birmingham Council the existing laws they could use against any busker genuinely causing a nuisance, and their answer was: ‘but the problem with that, David, is that in order to use them, we’d need evidence.’ Well – exactly. That is the point. There is now no busking at all in the city, and it feels lifeless and dull walking through the centre. The council claimed there were still places you could play, but the areas where they have banned it are precisely the places anyone ever busked – the only pitches that are viable. Before this, you would have walked through Birmingham and found music on one corner or another, in this square or that.

When we challenged that first Birmingham ban, we used a Freedom of Information request to establish how many complaints there had actually been. In one of the areas they wanted to clear of buskers, there had been only 23 people complaining across an entire year – not many, for a street walked by tens of thousands of people – and we then discovered that 62% of these complaints been made by the same individual. When I asked the council whether there was any test of whether a complaint was reasonable, I was told they had legal advice that it does not matter how many complaints there are, or what they concern: if a complaint is received, they are obliged to act on it. I do not believe that can be right.

The law is supposed to turn on whether an activity has a ‘detrimental effect on the quality of life in the locality,’ and on whether the behaviour is persistent, continuing and unreasonable. It cannot be right that, in practice, whether a town has any street music at all comes down to the tastes of whichever official happens to be enforcing the order – so that the character of the official ends up determining the culture of the place, instead of the other way around.

There is a real irony in all this. I have spent years campaigning against the privatisation of public space, and because a PSPO only applies to public land, we have reached the point where it can be less illegal to busk on private land than on public land. On privately owned parts of a city centre you may be refused permission, but playing there is only trespass – a civil matter – whereas on the public land that belongs to you as a council taxpayer you can be fined.

More and more of what looks to all intents and purposes like public space is no longer public, because councils are underfunded and selling off high-value land is an easy way to raise quick money. Buskers are caught in a pincer: public space tied up by licences, PSPOs and the discretion of officials, and private space where the owner simply dictates what may happen on it.

London has taken a different route, using a separate power under the London Local Authorities Act to license buskers. A handful of boroughs have gone down that road, and the most stringent is Westminster – the West End, Covent Garden, the busiest pitches in the country. The scheme was opposed by the overwhelming majority of buskers, and what followed was exactly what we warned would happen: the variety of performers collapsed, as anyone without a licence was moved off their pitch. To get one you must pay, produce two forms of identity and evidence of a right to work in the UK, and wait weeks to be processed – so the busker passing through a town for an afternoon, who is precisely what gives a place its texture, simply disappears.

In Camden, complaints actually rose significantly after licensing came in. When a council sets about scheduling where people may play and for how long, it is in effect asking musicians to work for free; they may as well be on the payroll.

For all of this, I do not believe the public wants silent, sanitised town centres. You do not, in truth, see many dreadful buskers, because if you are no good at it you do not last long – you make no money and you move on. Busking is a public offering: it is designed to please people, it lights up a city centre at no cost to the council, and it hands people something they did not plan or choose. A system built around a handful of complaints ends up enforcing blandness, driving out the more unusual performers who divide opinion – and no one ever writes to the council to complain that a town centre was dull.

What we actually need is straightforward: proper oversight of what councils put into these orders, and a proper right of appeal for anyone who is fined. Even where a busker has technically breached a term of a PSPO, it should be a defence that they were causing no nuisance and no genuine detrimental effect. To fine someone hundreds of pounds on a technicality, for doing nothing worse than trying to brighten a street, is madness.

How many councils have banned busking?

The following table is extracted from FOI requests to England and Wales councils by the Campaign for Freedom in Everyday Life.

This shows that councils are banning busking outright, or restricting amplification, or giving officers powers to order buskers to stop playing at any time.

At least 26 councils restrict busking – 23 through Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs) and 3 London boroughs through separate licensing schemes. The restrictions range from outright bans to conditions on how and where people may play:

Busking banned, or allowed only with council permission (4 councils) – Blackpool, Sefton and Bury prohibit street performance without prior written consent; Birmingham bans musical instruments and amplification across its main city-centre streets, which has effectively ended busking there.
Busking allowed only under conditions (8 councils) – codes of conduct, designated pitches, time limits or bans on amplified busking, including Burnley, Stafford, Cumberland, Kensington and Chelsea, and Redbridge.
Amplification banned or restricted in town and city centres (11 councils) – bans or tight limits on amplifiers, loudspeakers and microphones in the public spaces where people busk, which disable most busking even where the order does not name it, including Coventry, Leicester, Greenwich and Kingston upon Thames.
London licensing schemes (3 boroughs) – Camden, Westminster and Hillingdon require a licence to busk under the London Local Authorities Act, where busking without one is itself an offence.

Council	Summary of restriction	Restriction text
Busking banned, or allowed only with council permission (4)
Birmingham City Council	Bans amplification equipment and musical instruments in key city-centre streets, targeting noise from busking, street performance, preaching and public speaking. A 2022 order (New Street/High Street) was replaced from August 2025 by a wider order covering New Street, Temple Street, Cannon Street, Needless Alley and part of Waterloo Street. Effectively ends busking in the prime pitches.	‘A person is prohibited at all times from using amplification equipment to broadcast sound to third parties, [or] musical instruments or other items used as musical instruments, within the areas marked in green on the map of the restricted area.’ A second prohibition applies the same ban between 20:00 and 08:00 in the yellow areas. ‘Amplification Equipment’ is defined as ‘microphones, speakers, loudspeakers, megaphones, loud hailers… public address systems or any other similar equipment used for the amplification of voice, music or pre-recorded audio-tracks.’ Breach is an offence liable on summary conviction to a fine up to level 3 on the standard scale (£1,000); an on-the-spot Fixed Penalty Notice may be issued.
Blackpool Council	Outright ban on street performance of any kind without prior written council consent.	‘All persons are prohibited from performing or partaking in any street performances of any description without having written consent from the public protection department of Blackpool Borough Council.’
Bury Borough Council	Prior written consent of an authorised officer required to busk, sing, play any instrument or perform any street entertainment in a public place.	‘No person shall busk, sing, play any musical instrument, or perform any street entertainment in a public place without the prior written consent of the authorised officer.’
Sefton Council	Busking, live music, speeches and other performances in coastal/visitor areas require prior express written council permission under the events policy.	‘Events such as lectures, speeches, sermons, busking, live music, bootcamps, sport events, use of generators and other types of entertainment performances/shows or organised activities without prior express written permission of Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council as per our events policy.’ (One of 40 restrictions in the Coastal and Visitor Areas PSPO 2025.)
Busking allowed only under conditions (codes of conduct, designated areas, time limits) (8)
Burnley Borough Council	Busking permitted only in compliance with the town-centre busking code of conduct; separate restriction on continued use of amplifiers after being asked to stop.	Busking: ‘No person shall busk within the Prohibition Area unless they comply with the Burnley Town Centre Busking Code of Conduct.’ Amplifiers: ‘No person shall continue to use a loudspeaker or amplification by electronic means on the public highway within the Prohibition Area after having been requested by an Authorised Officer to cease from doing so.’
Cumberland Council	Buskers and street performers must comply with the buskers’ code of conduct; breach (or operating without one) breaches the PSPO; catches obstruction and use of street furniture.	‘A code of conduct for Buskers is currently in place, therefore, no person shall breach this by causing a nuisance to nearby premises or members of the public. This will also apply to street performers and includes obstructing the highway, pavement, or shop entrances, or using street furniture including public seats, lamp posts and railings. (Breach of the code of conduct, or, operating without one, will result in a breach of the PSPO.)’
Folkestone and Hythe District Council	Nuisance-based ban on street entertainment, with an officer power to order performers to stop.	‘All persons are prohibited from performing any type of street entertainment in such a way that causes a nuisance to nearby premises or members of the public within a restricted area. Such nuisance includes but is not limited to the inconsiderate obstruction of highways, footpaths and shop entrances, or excessive noise. No person shall continue to perform any type of street entertainment when directed by an authorised person to cease the ‘activity’.’
Kensington and Chelsea (Royal Borough)	Highly detailed zoned restrictions. Red zone: all singing or use of any instrument banned. Purple zone: no amplification; 10:00–19:00 only; 45-minute limit; no return within 100m same day; strict sound limits; £2m public liability insurance; no excessive repetition; max three performers.	Red zone (Zone 1) prohibits: ‘Any busking or street entertainment that includes singing, and/or uses any form of musical or percussive device or instrument. No more than six performers at any location per performance.’ Purple zone (Zone 2): ‘No busking or street entertainment outside the hours of 10:00 and 19:00. No use of any amplifiers, loudspeakers, megaphones or any similar equipment in their performance. No performance… to exceed 45 minutes, with no return to the same location (within 100 meters) on the same day. Sound levels… are not to be intrusive, so that they prevent or hinder normal conversation taking place 10 meters or more away. Repertoires shall be varied and avoid excessive repetition… No more than three performers in each location… Buskers and street entertainers must have public liability indemnity insurance in place for up to £2 million…’
North Somerset District Council	Officer power to require buskers to stop playing music or instruments on request.	‘No person shall fail to stop playing music or instruments when requested to do so by an Authorised Officer.’
Redbridge London Borough Council	Busking confined to three designated spots in Ilford town centre, one location per 24 hours, max two hours, no ‘site hopping’, and must not cause nuisance or be ‘offensive’.	‘Persons performing street entertainment may only do so whilst located within one of the designated areas within Ilford Town Centre. A performer may only perform in one of the designated areas within a 24hr period… (this prevents site hopping). No person shall perform any form of street entertainment that causes a nuisance to nearby premises or be offensive in any way. The designated areas for busking are: Outside Primark Store on High Road, Outside Ilford Train Station on Cranbrook Road, Outside Sainsburys Store on Chapel Road.’
Stafford Borough Council	Prohibits busking with an amplifier in the pedestrianised areas of Stafford and Stone town centres.	‘Any person is prohibited from busking with an amplifier within the pedestrianised areas of Stafford and Stone town centres (as indicated on the attached plans at Appendix 1).’
West Northamptonshire Council	Busking becomes an offence once a police officer or authorised person has asked the busker to stop.	‘Busking after a Police Constable or Authorised Person has requested you refrain from doing so.’
Amplification banned or restricted (disables most busking) (11)
Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council	Bans use of a loudspeaker or electronic amplification on the public highway without written council authorisation.	‘All persons are prohibited from using a loudspeaker or amplification by electronic means on the public highway, within the Prohibition Area unless they are in possession of written authorisation from the Council.’
City of Wakefield Metropolitan District Council	Bans use of a loud hailer, microphone or other sound amplification equipment at a volume/manner causing (or likely to cause) nuisance, annoyance, harassment, alarm or distress.	‘Persons within the Restricted Area shall not use a loud hailer, microphone or other sound amplification equipment at a volume or in a manner that causes or is likely to cause nuisance, annoyance, harassment, alarm or distress to others.’
Coventry City Council	City-centre PSPO (2026) bans the use of amplification equipment anywhere in the City Centre Restricted Area without council authorisation, and separately prohibits performing contrary to the city-centre code of conduct for performers.	Amplification (Section B): ‘Within the area shown as the City Centre Restricted Area … a person must not, unless authorised by Coventry City Council, use amplification equipment,’ defined to include ‘loudspeakers, speakers, microphones, megaphones, loudhailers, amplifiers … or any similar device designed to increase the volume of sound.’ Buskers and street performers (Section D): ‘Any person is prohibited from performing contrary to the ‘Coventry City Centre Code of Conduct for Performers.”
Greenwich London Borough Council	Bans use of amplified sound equipment in any public place without prior permission; refusal to reduce/stop and leave for 48 hours on request is an offence.	‘Not to use amplified sound equipment in any public place, except for events or activities for which prior permission has been obtained or permitted by law. Any person who fails without reasonable excuse to reduce the volume or stop using the amplification equipment, and if requested, leave the area and not return for 48 hours when asked to do so by a Constable, Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) or Council Officer, commits an offence…’
Hammersmith and Fulham London Borough Council	Bans use of microphones/loudspeakers/megaphones/loud hailers or any similar amplifying equipment – and any power source to assist amplification – in the mapped public areas, 24 hours a day.	‘You are prohibited from using microphones/loudspeakers/megaphones/loud hailers or any other similar equipment designed to amplify the volume of sound within public areas outlined on the maps, 24 hours a day [and] using mains electricity, generator power, battery power or any other source of power or device to assist with amplifying the volume of sound… 24 hours a day.’
Harrow London Borough Council	Requires advance permission from the council’s Licensing Team to use a microphone, loudspeaker, megaphone, loud hailer or similar equipment amplifying speech or music (does not restrict unamplified free speech).	‘Use of amplification – Seek permission in advance from London Borough of Harrow Licensing Team to use a microphone, loudspeaker, megaphone, loud hailer or any other similar equipment designed to, or which has the effect of amplifying the volume of speech or music. NB This does not prevent free speech if carried out without the use of any equipment stated above.’
Leicester City Council	Bans microphones, loudspeakers, megaphones and other amplified sound equipment in public spaces, with exemptions for authorised events, licensed premises and performers with council permission.	‘You must not use microphones, loudspeakers, megaphones or other amplified sound equipment in public spaces. You may be exempt if: the event, march or procession is authorised by the council or police; the activity takes place on licensed premises or vehicles; you are a performer with council permission.’
Lewisham London Borough Council	Amplified music or speech: offence to continue making loud/continuous/repeated noise causing reasonable annoyance after an authorised officer requests it to stop.	‘No person shall, after being requested to desist by an authorised officer, make or permit to be made any noise which is so loud or so continuous or repeated as to give reasonable cause for annoyance to other persons in any space open to the public.’
Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames	Bans operation of a loudspeaker (broadly defined, incl. any amplifying apparatus) 21:00–08:00 for any purpose, and at other times where causing nuisance/annoyance; enforcement officers may require surrender of equipment.	‘The Order prohibits the operation of a loudspeaker within the Restricted Area: between 2100 hours and 0800 hours the following morning for any purpose; and at any other time, where it causes, or is likely to cause, nuisance or annoyance to any other person… A loudspeaker is defined to include any equipment or apparatus designed to amplify the volume of any sound… Where an enforcement officer reasonably believes the prohibition has been breached s/he may by direction require the loudspeaker… to be surrendered.’
Shropshire Council	Offence to refuse to stop using a sound-amplifying device when required by an authorised officer who believes it is causing nuisance, alarm, harassment, distress or public disorder.	‘No person shall refuse to stop using a device intended to amplify sound when required by an authorised officer where it is believed to be causing nuisance, alarm, harassment, distress, or public disorder.’ (Shrewsbury town-centre PSPO.)
Tunbridge Wells Borough Council	A narrowly-drawn, reasonableness-based restriction: amplification restricted only where complaints are received, an unreasonable disturbance is caused, and the person has been asked to stop.	‘No amplification if complaints received, and causing unreasonable disturbance, and person has been asked to stop.’
London licensing schemes (London Local Authorities Act 2000) (3)
Camden London Borough Council	Borough-wide busking licence required since February 2014. Standard licence limits performances to solo/dual acts, restricts drums and wind instruments, and bans amplification unless the licence says otherwise; hours 10am–9pm. Unlicensed busking is an offence (fine up to £1,000) with power to seize equipment, including instruments. Keep Streets Live challenged the scheme in the High Court; complaints reportedly rose, not fell, after it came in.	Standard conditions: ‘The use of amplification equipment is not permitted unless otherwise stated on the licence’; performances permitted ‘from 10am to 9pm’; standard licences limited to solo or dual performers, with restrictions on drums and wind instruments. Standard licence £19 for 12 months; special licence (to vary conditions) £47. Unlicensed buskers ‘could have their equipment seized’ and are ‘liable to a fine of up to £1000.’
City of Westminster	Busking and street entertainment licensing scheme covering the West End, Covent Garden and other prime pitches. Opposed by the majority of buskers; applicants must pay, provide two forms of ID and evidence of a right to work in the UK, with a verification process taking several weeks. Keep Streets Live reports the scheme sharply reduced the variety of performers.	Licence required to busk or give street entertainment in designated areas; applicants must pay a fee, provide two forms of identification and evidence of a right to work in the UK. (Scheme adopted under Part V of the London Local Authorities Act 2000; introduced following a 2020 consultation and opposed by buskers’ campaigns.)
Hillingdon London Borough Council	Street-entertainment licensing scheme confined to four designated pitches in Uxbridge High Street. Performances only 10:00–12:00 and/or 14:00–16:00; max two hours per pitch; battery-powered amplification only (no mains/generator) and not to a level causing nuisance; drumming only a minor part; one performer per pitch; no active collecting (‘touting’).	‘Only battery-powered amplification is permitted; mains or petrol generator-powered amplification is not… Music or voice must not be amplified to a level that causes nuisance.’ Four designated pitches in Uxbridge High Street only; performances allowed 10:00–12:00 and/or 14:00–16:00; no more than two hours per pitch and no repeat at the same pitch the same day; one entertainer licensed per pitch; drumming ‘may only be a minor part of a performance’; no active collecting of money. Consent fee £26.30 + VAT (2011/12).