Busker Ben Dixon: ‘People have been forced out’

A COALITION of entertainment industry unions took to the streets to continue the campaign against busking restrictions in the West End.

The public march on Tuesday, organised by the regional Trades Union Congress (TUC) and including representatives from Equity and the Musicians’ Union, began outside Equity’s head offices and heard from the union bosses and buskers.

Last year busking anywhere in Leicester Square was suspended after a court ruling against Westminster City Council tabled by Global Radio, which said that the noise from buskers was disrupting their work.

The judgment ruled the noise from busking was causing a significant “nuisance” to the radio station workers.

Ben Dixon, a busker who has regularly pitched up in Leicester Square – for over 10 years – said: “It’s a real shame because a lot of people have been forced out of being able to busk.

“I’ve found it so much harder since the ruling, I’ve had to supplement my income with other gigs. Originally, we could play wherever we wanted across the West End. When the pitching bill came in around 2021, it was just about manageable.

“Now, there’s only a few spaces and lots of people have to compete for them.

“From the start we wanted to work with both the council and Global,” he said.

“We suggested pointing our amplifiers diagonally to avoid impacting their work, but it became clear from the start they were going to take the legal route.”

The city council told Extra this week that an appeal against the ruling will be heard at a crown court from March 11 to March 13.

The council has received support from the Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan when they first launched the appeal last June.

Prior to the court ruling the city council introduced a licensing scheme that limited buskers’ performance zones to designated pitches across the West End in 2021.

Lynda Rooke, Equity’s president, said that the union “totally supported buskers, who just want to make a living”, and called for the appeal to be approved “very, very soon”.

She said: “We want to shout about the challenges facing workers in culture and the arts.

“Our work is about fighting back and giving these workers a voice. We won’t just put up with low wages, being treated with no dignity at all, not feeling safe, or not getting paid.”

A Westminster City Council statement said: “We have always tried to make sure visitors, businesses, and residents get the best from our city and recognise that busking is one of the many reasons why Westminster is culturally rich.

“The council has appealed to the crown court against the sentence imposed by the district judge. We believe that, with sensible measures in place, we can find a fair solution that minimises disruption while allowing performances to go ahead.”

Global Radio were approached by the Extra for comment but did not respond.