The Reader: Don’t let new rules put the lights out at West End theatres

The European Union’s Ecodesign Regulation due to come into force in 2020 for lighting poses a direct threat to our world-renowned theatrical productions, and the Government must do more to protect them.

The replacement LED technology just isn’t up to scratch — it is inflexible, hard to dim and gives a harsh quality of light.

It may be that one day there will be sufficient advance in that technology to allow for that change but, as things stand, we are light years away from that being the case.

Sonia Friedman, the West End producer, told me that if these new lighting regulations are brought into force, her smash hit show Harry Potter and the Cursed Child would have to close — and that is just one of many. This is unacceptable, and would put at risk the achievements of the performing arts sector, which has consistently grown ahead of the UK economy for the past few years.

So this sector must be protected.

But these regulations could be enacted before our withdrawal, as I understand that the Regulatory Committee will vote in Brussels on this regulation in October or November this year, before they come into force in September 2020. This cannot be allowed to happen. Once we lose these shows, it will be a tough sell to get them back.
Giles Watling MP

EDITOR'S REPLY

Dear Giles,

Thank you drawing further attention to what will be, if it is not dealt with in time, nothing short of a catastrophe for the country’s theatres. As one lighting designer put it to me simply: “It will be a calamity. We are all absolutely bricking it.”

I’m glad you brought up the mega-hit Harry Potter play as an example of a show that would have to close but I am most concerned about the threat to London’s smaller venues — pub theatres, community theatres, black box studios — many of which are very unlikely to be able to afford to replace their equipment.

Maddeningly, there is no discernible reason why stage and studio lighting could not be exempt from the new rules applied to homes and offices (indeed, that is the case in the current version of these regulations).

The Ecodesign Working Plan is a textbook example of the disastrous consequence of a “one size fits all” policy. I would encourage the Standard’s readers to find out more at ald.org.uk/resources/savestagelighting.​

William Moore, Arts Editor

At last some action to tackle the damage of gambling addiction

The long-awaited Government review into gambling published last week takes much-needed action to combat problem gambling and gambling-related harms.

With 430,000 problem gamblers and two million adults at risk, we welcome every effort to ensure fewer people in Britain suffer from gambling-related harms. We particularly look forward to seeing action being taken on online gambling where there are no limits to stakes and prizes and the use of credit cards is permitted, and we welcome the commitment to review the age at which it is legal to purchase National Lottery products.

However, we continue to be concerned that the prevalence of gambling-related advertising and promotion, particularly via sports such as football and online via social media, risks normalising gambling for children.
Marc Etches
CEO, GambleAware

Democracy must always prevail

Neil Coyle MP is happy to accept the support of voters of Bermondsey and Old Southwark so that he can sit in the House of Commons but he is equally happy to ignore the electorate when it comes to the Brexit referendum result [“Labour must change its destructive Brexit policy,” May 18]. Whether you voted Leave or Remain, there is something disturbing about an MP calling for a democratic vote result to be ignored. And who knows how the economy will be doing in 10 years’ time once we’ve left the EU.
Mike Wood-Wilson

I support Neil Coyle MP’s call for the Labour leadership to change its policy on Brexit. The best way to do this would be to vote Liberal Democrat in the upcoming Lewisham by-election.
Jon Burden

Legalising drugs can foil criminals

Further to your article “Drug users fuel London killings, Met chief Cressida Dick warns” [May 18], I suggest that full legalisation of illicit substances would remove the criminal element of drug use.

It would take away a stream of revenue from criminals selling drugs, stop children being drawn into gangs, stop drug trafficking and instead create a vast amount of tax monies that could be used to educate the public and help addicts.

The police could stop wasting already stretched resources on petty drug users and concentrate on dealing with real crimes. And let’s face it, many more people are killed by tobacco- and alcohol-related diseases than drugs such as cannabis. Are they acceptable because the people making the decisions are partial to a tipple?
Jo Crane

Hospitality sector needs a fair deal

The hospitality sector has helped revitalise town and city centres around the country following the financial crisis. However, these businesses are facing devastating cost increases that threaten investment and jobs, as already manifested in venue closures by Byron, Carluccio’s, Jamie’s Italian and Prezzo.

If combined cost pressures are not addressed and support is not provided, we are going to see more high-street venues struggling. Our venues need a regulatory regime that allows hospitality to focus on growth rather than red tape, coupled with a tax regime that levels the playing field for traditional high street and community-based businesses. Hospitality businesses are not looking for favours but they do need to operate in a system that is fair.
Kate Nicholls
CEO, UKHospitality