Westminster City Council's draft licensing policy, which encourages venues in Soho and the West End to reduce standing customers, has been met with fierce opposition from pub owners, punters, and politicians, including MP Dawn Butler and Mayor Sadiq Khan.
The policy, currently under consultation, would require venues applying for licenses to demonstrate "meaningful reductions in actual operating capacity," potentially through enhanced dispersal measures, table service, or restricting "vertical drinking." This comes as a cumulative impact zone already covers Soho, Covent Garden, Leicester Square, Piccadilly Circus, and parts of Fitzrovia and Mayfair, allowing the council to refuse licenses if they could lead to crime or public nuisance.
Pub owners fear closures
Lesley Lewis, 71, owner of The French House for 37 years, said the policy "will kill the whole business." She added: "It will really finish us off. We rely on those people standing up with the rents and the rates put upon us. People want to enjoy themselves in Soho, they want to have a drink outside, they want to dance, they don't want to sit down and just be where they are, they want to meet people and chat." She suggested punters would instead go to Camden, which is more "licence friendly."
Jan De Vries, general manager at Bradley's Spanish Bar, called reducing vertical drinking the "nail in the coffin" for independent pubs, noting that with only 10 seats upstairs and 20 in the basement, it would not be "viable." He suggested the council "wants everybody off the streets after 11pm."
Political backlash
Dawn Butler MP took to social media, writing: "This isn't a draft policy, it's a DAFT policy. Trying to stop people standing at the bar? London's nightlife needs support, not more restrictions. Sadiq Khan is right to push back." Mayor Sadiq Khan also condemned the policy, stating on X: "You can't run a world-famous nightlife district with a village-hall mindset. London's hospitality and nightlife support jobs, culture and growth." He added that new mayoral powers would allow him to block council decisions.
Public reaction
Punters outside Soho pubs on Thursday afternoon voiced their disapproval. One called the proposal "idiotic," saying, "It's a bit silly really if you ask me. It's the whole tradition of Soho and the whole social aspect of it. They're already struggling enough in terms of hospitality." Another said: "It's not an alcohol thing. It's part of lapping up the atmosphere and adding to it." He added: "I think battling drunken and disorderly behaviour is absolutely fair play. I just wonder if there's other fronts to be fighting right now." A third questioned why Oxford Street was being pedestrianised when Soho is overflowing with pedestrians.
Industry and council response
Allen Simpson, Chief Executive of UKHospitality, urged local authorities to focus on "proportionate, evidence-based and responsive licensing regimes that give responsible operators the freedom and flexibility to meet changing consumer expectations, diversify their offer and invest." He noted that hospitality businesses are under significant pressure and need urgent support.
Cllr Tim Barnes, Westminster City Council deputy Leader, dismissed the criticism, saying: "It is utterly ludicrous to suggest the Council is planning to 'ban' people standing up in pubs. Suggesting otherwise is a wilful misreading of the policy proposals with clauses taken out of context." He emphasised that the guidance is about encouraging venues to manage customers so people don't pack onto pavements or cause disturbance. He noted that the council rejects less than 1.5 per cent of licence applications and has recently approved a 24-hour licence extension for McDonald's on Leicester Square.
