Published • loading... • Updated
No 10 urges council to 'work with' London pubs amid row over 'vertical drinking'
The draft policy would steer pubs toward table service and away from open bar space as critics warn it could hurt Soho’s nightlife economy.
- Westminster City Council's draft licensing policy proposes discouraging "vertical drinking" to combat "excessive drunkenness," creating a political headache for the council managing London's West End nightlife hub.
- Council leader Paul Swaddle said the goal is to reduce noise and disorderly behavior by encouraging table service rather than open bar space. Swaddle stressed the proposal remains part of a draft policy still open for public comment.
- Lesley Lewis, who has run the French House pub in Soho for 37 years, said discouraging standing drinkers would only drive customers away. Lewis warned pubs rely on standing crowds to cover high rents and business rates.
- London Mayor Sadiq Khan criticized the move, saying on X: "You can't run a world-famous nightlife district with a village-hall mindset." Khan suggested using new powers granted later this year to review Westminster's policy.
- Westminster hosts more licensed venues than any other U.K. local authority. Prime Minister Andy Burnham is encouraging local leaders to work with the hospitality industry, saying pubs remain "at the heart of high streets.
Insights by Ground AI
24 Articles
24 Articles
Residents of central London are being asked to give their opinion on the question: Should vertical drinking – that is, pub patrons standing up with their glasses – be restricted? Emotions have been aroused at a national level, and a spokesperson for the Prime Minister is quoted by the BBC: – Well-frequented pubs where people talk to each other are not a public nuisance, it is British life and thousands of jobs.
·Stockholm, Sweden
Read Full Article
The Toronto Star+3 Reposted by 3 other sources
Plan to limit ‘vertical drinking’ decried by pub landlords and UK politicians
LONDON (AP) — A proposal to limit “vertical drinking,” a bureaucratic euphemism for having a pint while standing, has turned into a political headache for one local government council in London.
·Toronto, Canada
Read Full Article
Coverage Details
Total News Sources24
Leaning Left7Leaning Right3Center8Last UpdatedBias Distribution44% Center
Bias Distribution
- 44% of the sources are Center
44% Center
L 39%
C 44%
R 17%
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
