The government backed down in the face of church lobbying yesterday and agreed that churches and other places of worship will be exempted from the need to apply for expensive public entertainment licences.
The amendment to the licensing bill means churches outside London will be exempt from regulation for performances "incidental to a religious meeting or service".
Nor will administrators and organisers have to pay for licences for other events in church and village halls and community centres, as long as they do not sell alcohol. The government is to instruct licensing authorities such as local councils that conditions attached to licences must be proportionate to the risks involved "which are likely to be minimal in most cases".
The move follows a lobbying campaign by bishops and other religious leaders, who claimed that the requirement to pay fees would kill off traditional events such as carol concerts and nativity plays and jeopardise classical music performances and even brownie and scout meetings.
The Church of England had claimed that the proposed regulations would cost it £2.6m in fees. Churches feared they might have to pay up to £500 a concert - though the government had said it would be much less - and £150 for an annual inspection.