A row has erupted after a London council proposed curbs on the number of customers standing at Soho and West End pubs.
Westminster Council is seeking to reduce standing outside pubs as part of its new draft licensing policy.
As reported by the Guardian, the central London council, which has jurisdiction over one of the busiest nightlife districts in Europe, is encouraging more venues to offer fixed seating formats in a bid to reduce “vertical drinkers.”
The draft policy, which is currently out for consultation, says that new licensing applications will be assessed individually, but advises that “greater weight” will be given to proposals that “demonstrate meaningful reductions in actual operating capacity”.
The council goes on to suggest that this could include offering “enhanced dispersal measures”, offering table service, or restricting “vertical drinking.”
The proposed strategy adds that the council will “drive sustainable growth and wider economic benefits” to operators, but only where licensing objectives are met.
One of its wider objectives is to “discourage excessive drunkenness and encourage the provision of more seating in premises that serve alcohol for people to sit and enjoy a drink and order food by table service in place of open bar space that caters for high volume vertical drinking.”
But the policy has already been slammed by those in the industry and the Mayor of London.
A spokesperson for the Mayor’s office said this proposal was “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,” the statement read.
Entrepreneur Sacha Lord, who was Andy Burnham's Greater Manchester night-time adviser said: “Westminster council are the most anti-hospitality council in the UK. Their draft licensing policy is out today and is recommending banning standing in pubs, and they don’t want people ordering at the bar. It’s like dragging us back to Covid times.”
Lesley Lewis, the owner of Soho’s famous French House pub and dining room, said it could lead to closures, redundancies and loss of business.
Ms Lewis, 71, who has owned the business for 37 years, said the policy, if implemented, “will kill the whole business”.
She said: “It will really finish us off.
“We rely on those people standing up with the rents and the rates put upon us.
“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.
When asked what effect the potential changes could have, Ms Lewis added: “I don’t think people will come to Soho if it’s that sanitised, it’ll kill it.”
Michael Kill, the chief executive of the Night Time Industries Association, said: “Standing in pubs has always been part of Britain’s pub culture. It’s how people meet friends, watch live sport, wait to be served and enjoy the unique atmosphere that pubs have provided for generations.”
Adam Hyman, founder of hospitality consultancy CODE, added: “If you’re recommending that pubs only serve drinks with waiter or waitress service, you’re cancelling decades of pub culture and you’ll risk destroying what makes London London.
“From an industry perspective, it’s not just cultural. It will have a big impact on how businesses operate and the costings behind it. It’s a very different model for a pub to have table service and to limit capacity from 40 people standing to a restricted number seated.”
The mayor is expected to get more powers via secondary legislation later this year. This will allow the mayor is call in and overrule decisions made by local councils.
It comes shortly after a row erupted between Sir Sadiq and the Soho Society, a community group founded by the council.
The Soho Society pledged to object to all new bar and restaurant licenses, operators have said.
Founded in 1972, the group said it would challenge all new applications for bars and restaurants in the area, including reviews of existing licences and any venue that wants to open beyond “core hours.”
Cllr Tim Barnes, Westminster City Council deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Growth and Planning, said: "It is utterly ludicrous to suggest the Council is planning to "ban" people standing up in pubs. Suggesting otherwise is a wilful misreading of the policy proposals with clauses taken out of context.
"We want people to go out in the West End and have a good time. Our guidance is simply about encouraging venues to manage their customers so people don't pack onto pavements or excessive drinking doesn't disturb others passing by.
"The Cumulative Impact Zone is recognised as an area that has a high concentration of activity and particular policies exist for that in Westminster and the Mayor’s London-wider planning. There is a legal obligation to look at every application on its merits and we do just that, meaning we see new venues opening all the time. Again, there is little change here from the policy of previous administrations and we have seen new pubs and fast-food outlets open recently including a license extension for the McDonald's on Leicester Square, which will now be open 24 hours despite objections from the Mayor’s police representatives.
"We are the country's largest planning authority with some 4,000 licensed venues. We reject less than 1.5% of license applications and there is a strong desire to see thriving, profitable, venues across Westminster. "As we have made clear we are happy to work with the Mayor of London on licensing and have just launched our own campaign to promote nights out in Soho."
