Warwick Council to propose LNL 'unlikely'

A Late-night levy for pubs and other drinking establishments which stay open past midnight in the Warwick Council area (which includes Leamington Spa) is due to come up for consideration this week.

But it is being reported that officers have recommended that neither a consultation into the introduction of levies or the actual implementation of such a scheme should not take place at this time and when the matter goes before the full council at a meeting on Wednesday it is likely that councillors will vote against progressing to a consultation stage.

A report to the council says: “It is officer opinion that the value of the revenue generation to the council of late-night levies or early-morning restriction orders is extremely limited due to the time consuming and resource-hungry implementation phase….There is a risk that the night-time economy of the district may be adversely impacted by the introduction of extra fees. Business opinion has been that late-night levies or early-morning restriction orders should be a last resort and are divisive by nature….By their nature the fees are contradictory to the prosperity-growth agenda.”