London councils that block pubs and clubs from opening later could see their decisions overturned by the mayor of London under new powers from the government.
Sir Sadiq Khan may be able to “call in” licensing applications in areas deemed to be of strategic importance for the night-time economy as part of a new pilot scheme.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the pilot would ensure the hospitality industry had “the conditions to grow” and was not “tied down by unnecessarily burdensome red tape”.
Westminster City Council said it granted the “vast majority” of licensing applications and only refused ones where safety concerns had been raised by the police or because significant disruption was likely.
It follows warnings that the capital’s nightlife has been struggling since the pandemic and Brexit, with rising rents, falling footfall, staff recruitment issues and cost of living pressures.
UKHospitality, the industry trade body, has said the combination of all rising costs would amount to a £3.4 billion hit for the industry, and has called on the government to come up with a plan for hospitality.
Earlier this year, the mayor launched a dedicated taskforce to help boost London’s nightlife and save venues at risk of closing.
Source BBC all coptright recognised .Read the full article here on the BBC UK website
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