Committee publication · Correspondence · 8 July 2026
Letter from John Kirkpatrick, Chief Executive, Equality and Human Rights Commission, regarding the fan-led review of live and electronic music, 24 June 2026
Summary
John Kirkpatrick, Chief Executive of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), responds to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee's fan-led review of live and electronic music. He declines the committee's recommendation to produce bespoke guidance on reasonable adjustments for music venues, citing resource constraints and the breadth of sectors requiring attention. Instead, he highlights the EHRC's updated statutory Code of Practice and a legally binding agreement with Live Nation requiring accessibility improvements.
Key findings
- EHRC declines to produce sector-specific guidance on reasonable adjustments at music events, despite committee recommendation, prioritising resource allocation across sectors
- Updated statutory Code of Practice for services (Chapter 7) will provide legal guidance on reasonable adjustments, with simplified language and expanded examples on disability conditions and auxiliary aids
- Live Nation and Festival Republic have implemented systemic accessibility measures under section 23 Equality Act agreement: enhanced accessibility guides, disability awareness training, mystery shopper audits, and sensory calm spaces
- EHRC used enforcement work with Live Nation as precedent for sector-wide practice change, with positive media coverage in music trade publications and national outlets
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
John Kirkpatrick, Equality and Human Rights Commission, Dame Caroline Dinenage, Live Nation (Music) UK Ltd, Festival Republic, Lord Brennan of Canton
Notable line
“… additional guidance would not be the best use of our resources. While we recognise that bespoke guidance for individual sectors may be helpful, we are unable to do this for every sector.”
Key Quotes
“We have carefully considered this recommendation via our formal triage and prioritisation process. This includes consideration of the risks and opportunities to people's rights, our unique role and potential for impact, and whether there has been previous work in this area.”
“What is reasonable depends on all the circumstances. A reasonable step for a large festival provider may not be the same as that for a small grassroots venue.”
“Our work with Live Nation provides a useful example for Arndale House, The Arndale Centre Manchester, M4 3AQ equalityhumanrights.com the sector on the types of actions that festival operators can take to review their own policies and practices to ensure …”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗