The Welsh Government has moved to give the police greater
powers to prevent unlicensed music events taking place in
Wales, as part of efforts to prevent the spread of Coronavirus,
Health Minister has
announced today.
Following discussions with the police and police and crime
commissioners, Ministers are amending Coronavirus regulations
to prohibit the organising of an unlicensed music event of more
than 30 people. These are events that are not licensed or
otherwise authorised under the Licensing Act 2003.
A breach of this prohibition will be an offence punishable by
conviction and an unlimited fine or, as an alternative to
conviction, by a fixed penalty set at £10,000.
This provides police in Wales with broadly equivalent powers to
those being introduced at the same time in England.
The police will still utilise the four Es approach of Engage,
Explain, Encourage, Enforce in acting proportionately.
Health Minister said:
“Illegal gatherings put people’s health needlessly at risk.
The changes to the regulations we are introducing give the
police new powers to stop these events taking place.
“The unlimited fine or significant fixed penalty for
organisers of these illegal events reflects the potentially
serious public health consequences.
“Coronavirus has not gone away – we all have a shared and
ongoing responsibility to keep Wales safe.”
The Welsh Government has not made any recent changes to the
rules around gatherings in Wales.
People should not gather in groups of more than 30 people
outdoors or meet with people outside of their household or
extended household indoors.
It is therefore an offence to do otherwise without a reasonable
excuse, such as the limited cases set out in the regulations.
The change in the regulations come into force tomorrow (Friday
28th August 2020).
