Sadiq Khan hits out at 'illogical' West End licensing rules in row with Tories over central London nightlife
Conservative Westminster councillors want newly licensed pubs to serve last orders at 10pm and have nightclubs shut by midnight on weekends.
Sir Sadiq Khan has hit out at a central London council’s proposals to prevent new pubs and bars from opening in Soho and the West End and have existing ones serve last orders by 10pm.
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The London Mayor, who this year was granted new powers to intervene in licensing decisions, has asked the Tory-run Westminster City Council to scrap the policies
The fresh row comes after a clash last week over plans to ban so-called “vertical drinking” in the area.
According to that draft proposal, the council is “concerned” about restaurants and bars in the West End operating as “vertical drinking premises, where customers consume alcohol whilst standing throughout the evening.”
The council is also seeking to favour hospitality businesses that only operate up until 10pm.
Conservative Westminster councillors reportedly suggest that newly licensed pubs should serve last orders at 10pm, while nightclubs must shut by 11.30pm on weekdays and at midnight on weekends.
Read more: No10 wades in to row over plan to limit standing drinks in Soho
The propsal also describes the entire Soho and the West End area as a “cumulative impact zone”.
This means new pubs, bars and night clubs should only be allowed to open in exceptional circumstances.
There are also plans to label Mayfair and the Victoria area as special zones , restricting nightlife because of noise and other “nuisance behaviours”.
Sir Sadiq says new bars and pubs should be allowed to open and the “core hours” policy should be scrapped to allow venues to stay open late into the night.
He has asked the council to “remove this cumulative impact policy altogether, instead setting out a positive vision of the economic growth that is being promoted, rather than the activity that is to be restricted”.
Sir Sadiq wrote in a formal letter to the council: “London’s bars, clubs, pubs, and live music venues are the beating heart of our global city, bringing communities together and filling our streets with life and laughter.
“The capital’s nightlife sector supports 630,000 jobs and contributes more than £21 billion to Britain’s economy every year.
“Yet, for too long, an outdated, inconsistent, and illogical licensing system has treated London’s nightlife like a luxury, rather than recognising it for the essential and extraordinary national asset it is.”
The mayor has pointed to Home Office alcohol licensing data showing that just 41 licence applications were made in the West End cumulative impact area in 2023-24, with just 16 granted.
He said the draft proposals “undermine City Hall’s efforts to make London’s nightlife the best in the world” and accused Westminster of taking licensing decisions 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."
Sir Sadiq added: “Westminster’s proposed approach would, if adopted, undermine City Hall’s efforts, supported by London businesses and others, including UK Hospitality, the Night Time Industries Association and Music Venue Trust, to make London’s nightlife the best in the world.“
The mayor also pointed to Manchester as an example of a city where bars, pubs and restaurants, have been allowed to flourish and bolster the local economy
“Manchester city council’s policy has adopted a more enabling approach, with no core hours policy, no cumulative impact policy and a clear vision for what they are looking to promote across their different local neighbourhoods.
“As envisioned by the Licensing Act 2003, there is a presumption to grant licences for pubs, bars, clubs and other premises where applicants can demonstrate effective management and compliance with the licensing objectives,” Sir Sadiq said.
The council must now consult City Hall over its licensing plans under the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026.
Sir Sadiq was granted powers of intervention earlier this year, set to come into effect in the autumn.
Cllr Tim Barnes, deputy leader of Westminster City Council and cabinet member for growth and planning, said: "We talk to pub and bar owners all the time, and their real issue is not licensing - it is the ever-mounting costs being loaded on them by central Government with venues facing rising bills and the increasing cost of employing staff.
"Cuts to policing mean people are worried about safety when they go out and an inadequate public transport network which doesn't allow them to go home when it gets late. Both of these are squarely the responsibility of the Mayor's office.
"If the Mayor was genuinely interested in helping the pub industry rather than simply a relentless power grab of licensing laws, he would address the real challenges to the industry."