Kudos for the BBC for finding this second subject (the bottom half of the article) and presenting both sides, as well as the inset "What is the law in the UK?" which I didn't know. This is a really strong and extremely balanced story where two sides speak for themselves through quotes. (I'd tell the author myself but I can't see a byline.)

Does anyone here know, what does Charlotte mean at the end with "I would never go on tour on my own to a new place that I've never been to before. No way. Because there is no safety agency or union out there that I can tell where I am or what I'm doing."

What are these unions or safety agencies, formal or informal? (And why can't Charlotte find one in a city she tours in?) If the reason they can't be found is that they're kind of operating outside of the law, like informal "protection" services then this would explain why she can only find it in a city she knows well - but that is not what "safety agency or union" means to me at all. So what are these things?