Late-night levy: "No guarantee that money will be spent where it is raised"

The legislation introducing the levy and early-morning restriction orders (EMROs) came into force last week and local authorities could implement a levy in their area as early as next June.

The levy will be collected from premises in a certain area that are authorised to sell alcohol between the hours of midnight and 6am, with 70% of the money raised going to the police, and the rest to the council.

However, ATCM chief executive Martin Blackwell raised concerns that pubs in one area could end up funding night-time policing for other parts of cities and local regions. “There is no guarantee that the money will be spent where it is raised,” said Blackwell. “It could be raised in Wandsworth and spent in Islington, for example.”

David Lucas, chairman of Nottingham’s leisure business improvement district (BID) We Are Nottingham, echoed Blackwell’s concerns.

“The worrying thing for us is there is nothing to prevent any money collected in the city centre being spent elsewhere in the county, which is a major concern for many of the licensees we work with.”

Lucas has also called on Nottingham City Council to consider a levy exemption for all licensed premises that are part of the BID, but said there is a “long road” ahead for licensees.

“The reality is that Nottingham City Council could choose to disregard the exemption for BIDs, which would be a major blow for licensees,” said Lucas. “As a BID, we are calling on the council to consider the Home Office guidelines carefully and think about the impact that this could have on responsible licensees.”

Councillor Alex Norris, Nottingham City Council’s portfolio holder for area working, crime and community safety, said: “We will need to look at the guidance in detail before any decisions are made in Nottingham.”