Islington takes a step closer to introducing late-night levy
The licensing committee approved the LNL scheme earlier this month, following a public consultation period that ended at the end of January.
If adopted, the levy will apply to all premises in the London borough licensed to sell alcohol from midnight until 6am. It will commence no earlier than 1 September 2014.
According to licensing law firm Poppleston Allen, 62% of the 369 consultation responses received supported the LNL proposals, with only 66 responses received from premise licence holders.
Council report
Of the 1,300 licensed premises in the borough, the Council’s LNL report estimates that 457 licensed premises would have to pay the levy if no exemptions or reductions were permitted.
A 30% reduction in the levy will be granted to premises operating in a best practice scheme. It is expected that 70% of the levy revenue will be paid to the police, with the remainder staying with the council.
Other proposals include:
• Employing a uniformed, accredited security organisation to patrol the late-night trade three nights a week.
• An additional police sergeant to coordinate the night-time economy.
• A problem-solving fund to respond to emerging issues.
• A radio-watch scheme for levy premises.
• Extending the operational hours of the anti-social behaviour line until 6:30am.
• Funding an additional CCTV operator three nights per week to support the late-night team.
The public meeting to determine whether to approve or reject the proposal will take place at 7.30pm on Thursday, 27 February at Islington Town Hall. If approved, Islington will be the third local authority to implement a LNL, following Newcastle and Cheltenham last year.
