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“Change Is Coming” on Secondary Ticketing says UK Culture Minister
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By Ryan Moss
- 28 Oct 2024
- 4 min read
Header Image: Bertrand Gabioud
The Minister for Creative Industries, Arts and Tourism Sir Chris Bryant has vowed that “change is coming” on secondary ticketing during a debate in parliament.
The subject was discussed last week in a hearing led by Labour and Co-Operative MP Emma Foody. Ms Foody, MP for Cramlington and Killingworth, explained that the issue “profoundly affects music and sport fans” but “appears to be inadequately addressed by current regulatory frameworks.”
She continued: “People understand that they will not always get a ticket to the show, gig or game, but they feel a real sense of injustice at the scale of secondary ticketing platforms, with tickets often appearing just moments after people have attempted to purchase them.”
Ms Foody went on to say that “while allowing a space for those tickets to be resold is important, it is also important that that is not to the detriment of consumers.”
Speaking about the resale of tickets, Mr Bryant said that a consultation on the matter would be launched “in the very near future”, going on to tell Parliament that he does not want “to completely ban people from selling tickets”, explaining that if someone buys tickets to an event and can’t attend due to illness, it is “perfectly legitimate that they should be able to sell the tickets on.”
The Minister went on to explain that legitimate ticket sellers “may want to be able to recoup not only the cost of the tickets themselves but some additional costs.”
There is a debate over what would be a suitable cap for that type of situation, with Mr Bryant explaining “I note the point that has been made about a level of 20%, which some people think is too high. Some people think that 10% would be too high; some people think that it would be too low. We need to make sure we get the level right.”
Mr Bryant said that a consultation would be launched “in the very near future.”
The debate comes after the controversy over the dynamic pricing model used for Oasis reunion tickets, which saw fans who were queuing for tickets find that the price had jumped from £148 to £355.
Labour MP for Ealing Central and Acton, Rupa Huq, has tabled the Sale of Tickets (Sporting & Cultural Events) Bill in Parliament, which has received cross-party support, and will receive its second reading in Parliament on 6th December.
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