Downing Street has weighed in on an escalating row over a London council’s proposals to clamp down on drinking while standing at bars and pubs in central London.
Westminster Council has recommended not allowing “vertical drinking” or ordering at the bar in the West End as part of its new draft licensing policy in order to “discourage excessive drunkenness and encourage the provision of more seating in premises that serve alcohol”.
The policy, which is under consultation, has sparked outrage from local businesses and the Mayor of London, who said that he hoped new powers granted to him by the government would stop councils from implementing “restrictive and anti-growth policies”.
A No 10 spokesperson has now urged the council to work with pub-owners so the capital’s nightlife powerhouse can thrive.
open image in galleryThe spokesperson said: “Busy pubs full of people talking to each other is not a public nuisance, it is British life and it is thousands of jobs. The government is devolving new licensing powers to the Mayor to help support pubs and nightlife.
“Soho did not become world famous by taking last orders early, switching the lights off at 10 o’clock. The prime minister encourages local leaders to work with the industry so that pubs can continue to thrive.”
The policy suggests premises that serve alcohol should provide more seating and people should be able to order food by table service instead of having open bar space.
Another policy would allow the council to “normally refuse” pub, bar, fast food or music venue licences in an area known as the West End cumulative impact zone – the area roughly between Oxford Street and Trafalgar Square, taking in Leicester Square and Soho.
“The introduction of measures to reduce the extent of, or to remove opportunities for, vertical drinking could address the underlying reasons for the policy,” the document said.
open image in galleryWestminster council has denied reports that it plans on banning “vertical drinking”, instead framing the proposal as guidance around how venues should manage their customers.
But Lesley Lewis, owner of Soho’s famous French House pub and restaurant, said the policy could lead to closures, redundancies, and a loss of business.
“We rely on those people standing up with the rents and the rates put upon us,” she said. “People want to enjoy themselves in Soho, they want to have a drink outside, they want to dance, they don’t want to sit down and just be where they are, they want to meet people and chat.
“People will go to other places like Camden Town that are a bit more exciting and a bit more license friendly.”
Heaven owner Jeremy Joseph, who cited restrictive licensing from the council as one of the reasons he closed his G-A-Y Bar in Soho last year, told The Times that the proposal would damage the hospitality sector in the area.
open image in gallery“My immediate reaction is how much more damage can you try to create for hospitality? It feels as though venues are constantly looking for that light at the end of the tunnel.”
A spokesperson for the Soho Business Alliance said they felt the council was “trying to reduce the capacities in these venues.”
“It’s been like that for years where people are standing and drinking, it’s not causing crime, it’s not causing issues,” they said. “It’s them trying to change the nature of Soho and it’s quite sad that they’ve gone to such lengths to sanitise the area.
“They don’t want the late-night economy. This policy completely contradicts the Mayor of London’s London plan.”
A spokesperson for the mayor said: “This is more evidence that restrictive and anti-growth policies aren’t working. At a time when venues need our support more than ever, the rules on licensing are stacked against them.
“That’s why the new powers the mayor is getting from government are so important, as they mean the mayor will be able to call in licensing decisions and have a say in local policies to protect London’s vital nightlife and hospitality industries.”
Each of London’s 33 boroughs operates under a difference licensing policy, however new devolution laws will allow the mayor to create a capital-wide policy and become more involved in licensing decisions and policies.
Sir Sadiq later wrote on social media: “You can’t run a world-famous nightlife district with a village-hall mindset.”
open image in galleryThe licensing dispute comes months after the Soho Society, a group that aims to preserve “the character of Soho”, reportedly voted for a new licensing mandate in its AGM, where it will challenge all new applications for bars and restaurants in the area, including reviews of existing licences.
Paul Swaddle, the Conservative leader of the council, accused City Hall of hypocrisy as they have “directed the police to object to every new licence application as their solution to curbing crime in the West End.”
He said: “We approve well over 98 per cent of licence applications, we’ve just backed a 24-hour licence in the West End and a new pub in Covent Garden, and we’ve launched our own campaign to get people back out enjoying Soho this summer. That’s growth that keeps this city open for business.”