Sadiq Khan backs plan to make London a 24-hour city
Sadiq Khan has welcomed the recommendations of London’s independent Nightlife Taskforce, which include making London a truly 24-hour city and “recognising nightlife as culture”.
Khan said he was committed to supporting the recommendations of the report, which sets out a comprehensive roadmap for improving the activity of London at night.
The report outlines 23 recommendations across 10 areas to support and grow London’s nightlife industries, including bars, nightclubs, pubs, music venues, and more.
The Taskforce recommended the introduction of a new licensing standard applied to the whole of London, which would make applications simpler and decisions more consistent.
This comes as Sadiq Khan is set to get new licensing powers from government this year, which will allow him to ‘call in’ powers to decide licensing applications for issues such as key nightlife venues and supporting al fresco dining.
According to the report, London’s nigh-time economy contributes over £139 billion to the capital each year and supports more than a million night-time workers.
To provide this industry with a unified voice, the report recommended the creation of a new Nightlife Commission. This has been approved by the Mayor and will receive a grant of £300,000 for its establishment. It will represent the interests of nightlife workers and businesses, and will work in partnership with City Hall to develop nightlife across the city.
Other recommendations from the Nightlife Taskforce include recognising the cultural, social, and heritage value of nightlife, creating a Nightlife Future Fund, improving infrastructure in London to create a truly 24-hour city, enhance night-time transport availability, and re-thinking the city’s approach to noise during night-time hours.
“Our night time economy supports more than a million jobs, contributes more than £139 billion to our economy and brings communities together, but action is needed to ensure that it can be a thriving part of life in our city for many years to come,” Sadiq Khan said.
“The taskforce’s recommendations set out a bold future for our life at night and I’m committed to working with partners to do all I can to support this.”
“This includes receiving new licensing powers from the Government soon that will help us to unlock the potential of our capital’s nightlife, as we build a better London for everyone,” he said.
