Newcastle becomes first authority to approve Late Night Levy

Councillors in Newcastle have approved the country's first late night levy under the Police and Responsibility Act 2011, to begin on 1st November.

The decision by the council follows a 12 week consultation process and approval by the council's Cabinet. The rate of the levy will be set according to the rateable value of an affected licensed premise and will range from £299 to £4400 per year.

Councillor Linda Hobson, Deputy Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Regulation for Newcastle City Council, said: “The vibrancy and vitality Newcastle’s night time economy has a worldwide reputation and makes an invaluable contribution to the city’s prosperity.

“However, it also has less welcome consequences – noise, crime, anti-social behaviour and negative health impacts. If the levy is agreed, it will be the first of its kind in the UK.

“These proposals, which will be delivered in partnership with the police, licensing trade and residents, seek to strike the right balance by ensuring those businesses which benefit should make a limited contribution to these costs, maintaining the city as one of the safest in the country and attractive to investors and visitors”

The council said that the money generated will help manage the night time economy and reduce alcohol-related crime and disorder in the city centre. "The objective is not to restrict the extent of the late night economy, but to ensure a contribution towards the costs of it. Some of the activities on which the levy might be spent are taxi marshalling, CCTV improvements, street pastors, street cleaning, enforcement and personal safety initiatives and increased toilet facilities, the actual spend being agreed by all partners for the benefit of the city," it added.

Between 5 February and 30 April 2013, the city council consulted on the proposals for a night time levy which included sending over 1000 letters to all licensees across the city and writing to 19 Licensing Solicitors and other professionals involved in licensing in the city. The city council also set up a dedicated website and conducted a survey on the Council’s Let’s talk Newcastle website.

The late night levy was introduced by the Police and Responsibility Act 2011 and enables licensing authorities to raise a contribution from late opening alcohol suppliers towards policing the nighttime economy. It is a local power that licensing authorities can choose whether or not to exercise. It must cover the whole of the licensing authority’s area. However ,the licensing authority will also choose the period during which the levy applies every night, between midnight and 6am, and decide what exemptions and reductions should apply from a list set out in regulations.