The Mayor of London’s New Powers on Licensing

Pubs and clubs are licensed by local authorities: in the case of Highgate that means by the London Boroughs of Camden and Haringey.  This year new legislation gives the Mayor of London the right to call in licensing decisions made by local councils.  This right is restricted to applications that are “potentially strategic”, with the definition of what is potentially strategic to be defined later by the Government.  The Government reassured Parliament that this was a “carefully constrained strategic role” for the Mayor – for centres of nightlife sufficiently important to be significant at a London level.  That wouldn’t, you might think, apply to us in Highgate, though it might apply to Camden Town.

However, the statutory instrument which now defines what is ‘potentially strategic’ covers 91% of the licensed premises in London!  This is not what the Act intended and would allow a shift of licensing policy away from local boroughs to the GLA.  The Highgate Society from time to time makes representations to licensing panels in Camden and in Haringey and we would have less influence if decisions were taken at a London level.

Parliamentary time has been secured for a debate on this, and we have written to Tulip Siddiq MP (letter attached) asking her to support efforts to get the definition changed so that it is in accordance with the intentions of the Act.