Late Night Levy extended

The Home Office has confirmed that the late night levy will be extended, despite major opposition from the pub, bar and nightclub sector. 

The decision means local authorities can create late night levy areas smaller than their local authority boundaries, as well as extend levies to late night refreshment premises.

"It’s really frustrating that the Home Office has proceeded with this extension of late night levy powers, particularly when the evidence base is seven years old and horribly out of date," says UKHospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls. "Introducing more powers for local authorities to implement the levy and making more venues eligible to pay is a damaging blow to the late night economy, which already paid hundreds of thousands of pounds in late night levies last year."

Nicholls says that given the challenging economic circumstances businesses face, the government should be focused on reducing regulation and easing cost burdens.

"Instead, they have chosen to add more," she says. "This will simply stymy investment and limit economic growth. I would continue to urge the government to show that it’s on the side of businesses and abolish the late night levy as soon as possible."

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