Late-night booze levy set to come into force in Hackney despite angry backlash

Booze levy: Hackney Council's charge is due to come in on November 1
Rex
Patrick Grafton-Green29 October 2017

A late-night booze levy is set to come into force in Hackney next week despite an angry backlash from east London bar owners.

From Wednesday, bars, clubs and shops will be forced to hand over as much as £1,473-per-year for serving alcohol between midnight and 6am, on top of their licencing fees.

In the minimum band for business rates, late-night businesses will be expected to cough up £299 to continue serving after midnight.

The charge is being implemented in a bid to raise £400,000 a year to fund police and council enforcement officers.

Hackney Council voted through the plans despite opposition from 48 per cent of the borough’s residents.

Nightspot: Revellers enjoy a drink in Hackney
Rex

David Morfford, co-director of the Looking Glass Cocktail Club in Shoreditch previously told the Standard he felt “victimised” by the introduction of the levy and branded the decision “anti-business”.

He said: “It’s insane. Yet another nail in the coffin for businesses that are struggling with rising rents, rising fees and taxes.

“It’s ludicrous. You’d think a local government who want a night time economy would stop doing things to prevent that.

“This is penalising the little guy, the guy who is trying to make a living.”

Meanwhile boss of popular cocktail venue Nightjar said: "Whilst I understand that councils are facing a funding crisis and that parts of Hackney and Shoreditch do have issues with the behaviour of late night revellers, this indiscriminate levy constitutes an unfair extension to taxation.

The boss of Nightjar said the levy was indiscriminate

"All bars already pay business rates, and many operators with late licences have already paid handsomely for them by way of lease premiums and higher rent.

"We’ve been trading late night hours for 7 years and in that time have never required the attention of the local police (or indeed any other council services).

"We do not see why operators who cause no problems for the local authority should be made to pay for those that do.”

Officials from the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers also spoke out against the move.

Chief Executive Kate Nicholls said: “This is an extremely retrograde action by the Council, one that will heap costs on vital businesses in the area and is likely to have a disastrous effect for employers who provide so much."

However councillors defended the levy, which has been trialled by 40 businesses across Dalston for the last five years, claiming the introduction was “central” to addressing anti-social behaviour in the area.

Councillor Guy Nicholson, Cabinet Member for Planning, Business and Investment, said: “The late night levy will help public services manage this impact by paying for more police officers, enforcement officers and street cleaners into the early hours of the morning.”

Hackney police chief Simon Lawrence also welcomed the move.

He added: “Hackney is a popular and vibrant place to visit and socialise and we dedicate resources specifically to the night time economy to work with the key partners and keep the area safe.

"With limited resources this is becoming more difficult to achieve – especially with late night licenses that run into Bank Holidays as officers are entitled to a premium payment should they work beyond 7am - so I will welcome extra funds in order to help keep Hackney a safe place to live, work and enjoy.”

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