London Council pulls proposal to adopt the Late Night Levy

“The London Borough of Redbridge will not be considering the proposal to adopt the Late Night Levy as had been planned later this month.

We understand the deferment of the decision may be indefinite, and that being the case, the Borough will not be adopting the Levy at least for the foreseeable future.

The Levy was scheduled to be considered at the Full Council meeting at the end of the month, and if agreed, would have been adopted across the London Borough and applicable to licensed premises within Redbridge permitted to sell alcohol between 12:01am to 06.00am. No reductions or exemptions had been proposed, save for those premises permitted sale of alcohol on the morning of New Year’s Day only.

There are no doubt various considerations that led to the decision to pull the Levy proposal. The unprecedented impact of Coronavirus on licensed businesses along with likely resistance from members of the Business Improvement District (BID) (located in Ilford) who would not be exempt under the proposal (therefore liable to pay two payments towards the BID and the Levy) may have been significant factors. Furthermore, we at Poppleston Allen had also lodged a further submission to the Council on behalf of UK Hospitality against adoption of the Levy.

In any event, the Council’s decision will come as most welcome news for licensed operators in the area, particularly given these unprecedented and difficult times.

For operators in areas where a Levy is either in place or being proposed, if you would like to understand how this may affect your business and the options available to you, please contact licensing solicitor Suraj Desor or call 0115 953 8500 “