Top complaints about Glasgow buskers revealed
More than two and a half thousand people took part in a survey
Last updated 5th Jun 2024
The biggest consultation on busking in Glasgow city centre has found most people want musicians to turn the volume down.
The findings being presented to a council committee show just over half the people who responded feel noise level from performers is an issue which could, and should be addressed.
More than 2,700 people took part in the survey, and the vast majority of answers said busing was worthwhile and should be allowed to continue.
Glasgow City Council and the City of Edinburgh Council separately undertook public consultations in 2023
Glasgow has a voluntary code of conduct for busking and street performing in the city centre that provides key guidelines for performers, but officials say the council is limited in how it can respond because the law does not easily allow local authorities to take punitive action against those breaching the code.
Top busking complaints
Other issues highlighted in the responses include:
- Poor performance quality
- Repetition of numbers and limited repertoires
- Performers staying too long at a pitch
In response the council is putting signs in Buchanan Street promoting the busking code of conduct; as well as a page on its website that allows people to raise complaints and draw issues to the attention of Community Enforcement Officers.
Police checks
Officials say there will also be an enhanced presence of Police Scotland officers through the summer to identify buskers persistently breaching the code of conduct.
They could be given fixed penalty notices, have their equipment confiscated, or even be referred to the Procurator Fiscal’s Office.
A Glasgow City Council spokesman said: "Buskers and street performers are for many people a welcome feature of the city centre experience - and to make this experience as positive as possible, we asked for views on how this activity can best take place.
"The scale of the consultation responses received underlined support for these performers, but also indicated some issues which can impact on the quality of a visit to the city centre, as well as the experience of local residents, businesses and workers.
"In response to this, the council and its partners have identified a series of actions to help promote the buskers’ code of conduct, and respond to instances where some do not respect the code."