A London council will consider possible changes to the way it regulates street performers at Covent Garden at a crunch meeting on Monday.
Westminster City Council is considering how to enforce a licensing system to regulate buskers who have for centuries entertained people at the tourist hotspot.
The scheme was introduced in 2021 but 100 members of the Covent Garden Street Performers Association have been boycotting it.
They argue the red tape on pitch sizes, noise and dangerous props would force them out of business.
The group also insists that self-regulation is working, with all members required to have public liability insurance and complete risk assessments.
Elected representative Pete Kolofsky, who has been performing in the area for 15 years, told The Times: “Covent Garden is a quintessentially British cultural institution. I’d say it is the most famous street performance venue in the world.”
The 40-year-old listed several celebrities who started in Covent Garden. They include Eddie Izzard, Dynamo and Pierce Brosnan.
He went on to pre-empt arguments in favour of regulation, citing figures which show that out of the 5,070 noise complaints the council received between April 2021 and May this year, only 5 per cent involved performers.
Mr Kolofsky also claims that the majority of shops in the area have signed a petition in support of the association.
But Westminster City Council insists it is not trying to ban busking.
Deputy leader Aicha Less said they were trying to “strike a balance so that residents and businesses are not impacted with noisy performances or large crowds causing disruption”.
Their plans could see more enforcement efforts, including a partnership with the police, or discarding the regulation system altogether.
