Choirs’ Performances at Norfolk Christmas Market Canceled Due to Council Error

An administrative error by the town council reportedly led to the cancellation of two choirs’ performances at a Christmas market in Norfolk. The Christmas market in Attleborough took place in Queens Square during the weekend, offering typical attractions such as craft stalls, street food, a grotto, and mulled wine. However, Voice Junction and Pop Club Choir received notification the evening prior to the event that their scheduled performances could not proceed. The council stated its failure to obtain a temporary event notice (TEN), a requirement for offering entertainment on premises without a license, attributing this to an oversight regarding its necessity. Voice Junction, a children’s group, and Pop Club Choir, an all-ability ensemble, had been scheduled as the main performers for the occasion. Pop Club Choir, whose members range from 17 to 70 years old, had intended to use their performance at the market to raise funds for charity. Ed Dewson, who directs the choir across locations including Thetford, Bungay, Ipswich, and Bury St Edmunds, expressed their disappointment. “This is part of the rough and tumble of showbiz but we are not rock stars – we wanted to do this to create a nice atmosphere and bring some Christmas razzmatazz,” he stated. A council spokeswoman commented: “The TEN was not applied for because our administration team had not realised a TEN would be required for a choir to perform around the tree in the square.” She continued: “By the time this was brought to our attention it was far too late to secure a TEN licence. So, we took the difficult decision to cancel the choirs as we did not want to risk falling foul of the licensing laws.” The spokeswoman added: “We have issued a sincere apology on our page to those who had been inconvenienced and disappointed.” According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, a temporary event notice application must be submitted to Breckland Council a minimum of 10 working days before an event’s scheduled date. Taila Taylor, who serves as the mayor of Attleborough and is a member of the town council, described the situation as “unfortunate.” She further remarked: “One important puzzle piece may have been missing from the event but the council set out to deliver a Christmas market with good intentions, hopefully benefiting lots of local businesses.”