Culture secretary Andy Burnham announced today (21 April) new plans to help combat ticket touting.

Burnham said that the government would be pushing for a voluntary agreement that tickets for certain ‘crown jewel’ events would not be sold on the secondary market. The events included would be similar to events that must be available to free-to-air television, such as sporting world cups.

The DCMS will also work with the Society of Ticket Agents and Retailer (STAR) to deliver a new code of principles for the ticketing market that meets consumers’ needs, which is likely to include a limit on the number of tickets sold to each person, clear refund policies and improved distribution, allocation and exchange arrangements.

However, the department said there would be no legislation, so as not to criminalise fans who want to buy tickets to sold-out events or sell tickets they cannot use.

“Fans are the lifeblood of our sporting and entertainment culture, and young fans keen to get to events are often the most exploited,” said Burnham.

“Event owners and promoters need to work harder to ensure that real fans get tickets at a fair price. We’ve seen good examples of how this can work at major events. The whole industry now needs to take action to ensure that distribution is fair and effective.”

Chair of STAR and chief executive of VisitBritain, Tom Wright, commented: “Consumers expect, need and deserve to be properly protected from the many problems caused by unregulated ticket selling. Given that the ticket resales market looks likely to expand rather than be stopped, STAR is looking at ways in which customers who purchase in that market might be protected by the same standards of service that our members already offer in the primary market.”