London Mayor Sadiq Khan has ordered Westminster Council to scrap a proposed policy that would ban new pubs and bars from opening in Soho and the West End. This intervention marks the first time the Mayor has used new government powers, granted this year, to influence licensing decisions.
The draft policy from Conservative Westminster councillors also included plans to label Soho and the West End as a “cumulative impact zone,” restricting new venues. Additionally, it proposed that newly licensed pubs serve last orders at 10pm and nightclubs close by 11:30pm on weekdays and midnight on weekends.
The council's new licensing policy, currently under consultation, also asks pubs to prevent customers from standing while drinking, referred to as “vertical drinking,” and to offer table service instead of bar orders. There was widespread anger regarding these proposed restrictions.
In his formal response to the consultation, Mr Khan is asking the council to remove all proposed zones and allow new bars and pubs to open. He is also directing them to eliminate the “core hours” policy, which would permit venues to remain open late into the night.
Mr Khan stated that licensing decisions have been “skewed towards the interests of a handful of highly vocal residents and councillors, without giving enough weight to the effects on London’s wider economy and culture.” He added that the proposals “undermine City Hall’s efforts to make London’s nightlife the best in the world.”