Mansfield busking rules rethink after row over banned singer
- Published
Wes Dolan has been performing in Mansfield for 20 years
A council says it will refresh its busking rules after a decision to ban a singer led to an outcry.
Wes Dolan has performed in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, for 20 years but was told to leave the town centre after the district council received complaints.
Ahead of a "We stand with Wes" event on Saturday, Mr Dolan had a meeting with the council to discuss busking rules.
Mansfield mayor Andy Abrahams said a draft revised code would now go through consultation following the meeting.
After Mr Dolan was banned from the town centre a groundswell of support emerged, including violinist Laura Wilcockson.
The pair met with Mansfield District Council on Friday to discuss the authority's busking rules, which are now being revised.
A post on Mr Dolan's Facebook page said: "We felt that the meeting went very well, all parties were given the opportunity to voice their concerns and we have managed to agree upon working out a new approach, which we hope will benefit everyone and serve as a fair compromise between street performers and other businesses alike.
"I am satisfied with the outcome and it is good to know that the authorities are showing some support and listening."
Musicians gathered in Mansfield town centre to support Mr Dolan at the weekend
Mr Abrahams said he was "pleased to see positive progress" come from the meeting.
"It was an insightful meeting on both parts - listening to Wes directly and discussing how we can best work together in the future," he said.
"It was a frank and open discussion by all parties present.
"Although everyone agreed the existing code was good, it needed refreshing in a few areas to make it more reflective of what was actually happening in practice, to make the guidance clearer and to include what had been agreed at the meeting."
On Saturday a group of locals and supporting musicians gathered in the town centre to support Mr Dolan.
The council said they made the event a "celebration of busking in Mansfield" following the meeting.
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