Keswick town councillors were due to consider a solution to silence verbally abusive buskers whose amplified sounds have led to a chorus of complaints from business owners and residents.
At Thursday night’s town council meeting members learned that authority staff had been insulted by street musicians when they had attempted to talk to them about amplification of their anthems.
Town council clerk Vivien Little said in her report to the meeting that a business owner had contacted her to request that she talks to other traders in the town in an attempt to find a solution to buskers and the noise they can cause, potentially using the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) as a route into it.
Councillors were to be asked whether they would like to consider this course of action or follow avenues that have already been opened.
She was to remind members that in October 2022 councillors decided to revise the council’s code of conduct for buskers which stipulated that there was to be no amplification. Mrs Little also took the decision in consultation with the mayor, Cllr Steve Harwood, that town council office staff would no longer talk to buskers about amplification as they did not want employees to be on the receiving end of verbal abuse.
But she added that there were occasions when she would talk to buskers, usually when music was being played too loud and complaints had been received.
In her report, Mrs Little said that the past month had been an extremely busy one “with a number of complaints coming from various quarters” due to events happening in Keswick. She said that they encompassed highways issues, buskers, an anti-abortion protest, unauthorised street traders, A-boards and a street preacher spouting inflammatory religious views during the annual Christian convention.
“As a result office staff have spent a good deal of time trying to report these issues to Cumberland Council and we feel as if we are getting nowhere,” said Mrs Little in her report. “Often the complainants are unhappy with our response when we state we are not responsible for these issues.”
The clerk, along with Cllr Jean Murray, was due to have a meeting yesterday with Cumberland Council’s market manager to discuss highways issues, the state of benches in the Market Square, trip hazards and patches of asphalt left by contractors who are aware that they should replace cobbles once they have finished repair jobs.
She has also arranged a meeting with the police about anti-social behaviour and holiday lets which will also be attended by Cllr Louise Dunn and the mayor, Cllr Steve Harwood.
