A local performer’s disappointment over busking rules in Stone has drawn fresh attention to a lesser known restriction covering both Stone and Stafford town centres.
Shaun Walker says he is disappointed by a restriction in Stafford Borough Council’s current Public Spaces Protection Order, which prohibits busking with an amplifier in the pedestrianised town centre areas covered by the order in both Stone and Stafford.
Walker’s protest sign has been widely shared online in recent weeks, bringing fresh attention to the rule and the effect he says it is having on live music in Stone.
Walker said he had been busking in Stone for years, describing a link with the town that goes back to the days when Ethel Austin and Greggs were still part of the High Street.
“I really love Stone,” he said. “It is the only town left from my original line up that still has any atmosphere and respect for musicians.”
He added, “Stone is a lovely town, full of character and I will miss it.”
A rule that has already been in place for more than two years
The restriction on amplified busking is not a new one.
It forms part of Stafford Borough Council’s wider Public Spaces Protection Order, which came into force on Thursday 7 December 2023 and is due to expire on Saturday 6 December 2026 unless it is extended. With the borough council confirming that the current order was introduced following consultation with residents, businesses and organisations.
In Stone, the restricted area includes the pedestrianised town centre zone. The order does not ban busking outright, but it does prohibit busking “with an amplifier” in the mapped pedestrianised areas.
Anyone found to be in breach can be issued with a fixed penalty notice of up to £100, or face prosecution. The order says enforcement can be carried out by an authorised council officer, a police officer, a Police Community Support Officer, or another person authorised in writing by the council.
Walker’s sign also refers to a permit for amplified busking. However, Stafford Borough Council does not operate a permit scheme for amplified busking – although other councils may offer such permits.
Stone Town Council opposed the proposal
Stone Town Council opposed the proposed restriction in its response to the consultation on the Public Spaces Protection Order.
Minutes from the council’s General Purposes Committee meeting on Tuesday 1 August 2023 show members opposed adding busking as a restriction. On amplified busking, the town council said amplifiers should not be restricted “up to the point when they become a public nuisance”.
That view formed part of the wider consultation process which was later considered by Stafford Borough Council before the final order was approved.
How the restriction was introduced
A report to Stafford Borough Council’s cabinet said 130 responses were received in total, made up of 118 residents, five businesses and seven partner responses. Overall, 78 per cent supported the proposed restrictions package.
The detail on busking was more mixed.
When asked whether busking in Stafford and Stone town centres should be restricted, 57 per cent of respondents said no and 30 per cent said yes. But when the question turned specifically to amplified performances, support shifted, with 65 per cent backing a ban on amplified busking in those areas, 26 per cent opposing it, and 9 per cent saying they did not know.
That meant the council was presented with a more nuanced picture than a simple yes or no to busking. People were broadly against stopping busking altogether, but more supportive of limiting amplification. In the end, the final order covered both Stone and Stafford, despite Stone Town Council arguing against the amplifier restriction in its own response.
No fines issued in Stone so far
Responding to A Little Bit of Stone, Stafford Borough Council said complaints about busking had been received in both Stafford and Stone, and said the final order followed consultation in which people were content with busking but wanted amplification restricted.
The council also said no fixed penalty notices have been issued in Stone under this part of the order, and that nobody has asked for a review since it came into force in 2023.
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