Key facts
- London Mayor Sadiq Khan has ordered Westminster Council to abandon a proposed licensing policy.
- The policy would have banned new pubs and restaurants from opening in Soho and the West End.
- Khan cited concerns that the policy would harm London's economy and culture.
- The draft policy included restrictions on "vertical drinking" and early closing times for new venues.
- Khan used new powers granted this year to intervene in licensing decisions for the first time.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has ordered Westminster Council to scrap a controversial licensing policy that would have effectively banned new pubs and restaurants from opening in Soho and the West End. The proposed policy, which Khan described as skewed towards a few vocal residents and detrimental to London's economy and culture, included restrictions such as prohibiting "vertical drinking" (customers standing while consuming beverages) and mandating early closing times.
Khan, utilizing new powers granted to the Mayor of London this year, formally responded to the council's consultation, directing them to remove the "cumulative impact zone" designation for Soho and the West End. This designation meant new venues could only open under exceptional circumstances, despite the area being a popular nightlife destination. The draft policy also proposed "core hours" for venues, with last orders at 10pm for pubs and 11:30pm/midnight for nightclubs on weekdays and weekends respectively.
Data cited by Khan indicated a significant drop in new licence applications in the area, with only 41 applications made and 16 granted in 2023-24, and only 3.5% of applications approved as submitted between 2023 and 2026. Pub and wine bar applications specifically were down 80% in 2022-24. Khan is urging the council to adopt a more enabling approach, similar to Manchester City Council, which supports economic growth and has no cumulative impact policy or core hours restrictions.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham also weighed into the debate, stating that standing up to drink in pubs is part of "British life" and should not be curtailed.