Entertainment & Culture

Entertainment & Culture

This Knowledge Base entry focuses on the local authority responsibilities for licensing and for providing or supporting entertainment and cultural activities. Prior to 1973, local authority involvement in entertainment and cultural activities was mainly concerned with licensing of theatres, cinemas and other forms of entertainment. Under the Theatres Act 1843, Justices of the Peace were responsible for licensing all theatres, but in 1892 this function within burghs was given to the burgh magistrates.[1] Cinemas were first licensed in 1909 by royal, parliamentary or police burgh magistrates and county councils.[2] Responsibilities for licensing theatres and cinemas was transferred from magistrates to town councils (except in Aberdeen and Glasgow) and from JPs to county councils in 1947.[3] Local authorities were required to register people training and exhibiting performing animals from 1925.[4] Buildings for use as a meeting place or public entertainment venue also required construction permission with plans being submitted in police burghs from 1862 and this was subsequently incorporated into building standards.[5]

The Local Government (Scotland) Act 1947 permitted local authorities to use their halls and other buildings for concerts and bazaars but not for plays, variety performances or films.[6] In the same year, the Civic Restaurant Act 1947 enabled county councils and town councils to set up restaurants, repealed in 1982.[7]

The Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 enabled local authorities to do anything or arrange for or fund the provision of ‘adequate facilities for social, cultural and recreative activities’ including entertainment, facilities for dancing, arts and crafts, provision of a theatre, cultural centre, arts centre, concert hall, dance hall, community centre or other premises; maintain a band, orchestra or theatrical company and enabled ancillary activities such as selling refreshments and advertising.[8] In 1982 these powers were restricted to district and islands councils, while regional councils were limited to supporting recreational, sporting, cultural and social facilities and activities through grants to district councils or voluntary organisations or other persons.[9] These powers were subsequently transferred to unitary authorities in 1996.[10] From 2007 onwards, some councils set up trusts, which could acquire charitable status, to manage council-owned facilities and provide entertainment and cultural functions on behalf of the council.

Licensing records along with records of local authority operated entertainment and performing arts venues and activities are likely to be held by local authority archives services. The National Library of Scotland holds records of a wide range of clubs and societies as well as the Moving Image Archive which holds cinema memorabilia and business records of cinema companies, as well as films by professionals and amateurs and related material.

Many entertainment and cultural venues were operated by commercial companies and, of course, many theatre companies, orchestras, dance companies, and other performing arts companies are independent businesses. Records and printed memorabilia may be found in the Scottish Theatre Archive, the Scottish Music Archive and the National Library of Scotland as well as some university and local archives services.

Compiler: Elspeth Reid (2021)

Related Knowledge Base entries

Scottish Cinemas

Film production in Scotland

Bibliography

Bell, James, and James Paton, Glasgow: Its Municipal Organization and Administration (J. MacLehose and Sons, 1896)

Ferguson, Keith, An introduction to local government in Scotland (The Planning Exchange, 1984)

Whyte, W. E., Local Government in Scotland (Hodge & Co, 1936)

References

[1] Theatres Act 1843 (6 & 7 Vict. c.68); Burgh Police (Scotland) Act 1892 (55 & 56 Vict. c.55) ss.395-402.

[2] Cinematograph Act 1909 (9 Edw. VII c.30).

[3] Local Government (Scotland) Act 1947 (10 & 11 Geo. VI c.43) ss.313-314.