The Guardian has hit back at a demand for £200 in return for permission to record on Brighton beach after a “misunderstanding” of city council filming regulations.
The national newspaper says it was told it would have to stump up the cash by Brighton and Hove City Council’s events office after it informed the press office it would be carrying out the audio interview and photo shoot.
The office said it was acting on guidelines brought in last June to charge for commercial filming, and although there was a current affairs exemption, the interview did not qualify.
However, after the Guardian kicked up a fuss, and got the backing of former Green councillor Geoffrey Bowden, who chaired the meeting in which the decision to bring in new charges was made, it backed down and apologised.
The new regulations state that “documentaries/music videos/pieces to camera” are charged at £300 a day or £100 an hour and that producers of “television drama/advert/feature film” pay £400 a day or £100 an hour. News and tourism pieces are exempt.
