Liverpool City Council to consult on introducing late night levy

The licensing committee at Liverpool City Council has approved plans to consult on the introduction of a late night levy.

The key elements of the proposed levy – as set out in a report prepared ahead of the meeting – are:

  • It would apply from 1 June 2016;
  • The late night supply period would be midnight to 6 am;
  • There would be a ‘New Year’s Eve’ exemption category – applicable to all premises authorised to supply alcohol for consumption between midnight and 6 am on 1 January in every year (but which are not so authorised at those times on any other day in any year). The council would not propose applying any other of the potential exemption categories of premises;
  • The council would not propose to apply either of the permitted reduction categories of premises;
  • The Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner would receive 70% of the net levy payments. The remaining 30% will be retained by the council and applied in accordance with the relevant legislation;
  • Approximately 800 premises would be affected by the scheme. The vast majority are likely to pay between £299 and £1,259 per year, with 20 paying the top rate of £4,440 per year. These proposed payments are indicative and part of the consultation process.

Commenting ahead of the licensing committee meeting, Cllr Emily Spurrell, Mayoral Lead for Community Safety, said: “Liverpool is a vibrant and safe city and its night time economy is enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of people every week.

“Obviously this all comes at a cost arising from the minority of people who cause crime and disorder, and the money raised from the late night levy would be used to help offset this.

“We know that our community safety partners are supportive of the introduction of a levy, so what we are doing now is going out to consultation on a proposal.”

Cllr Steve Munby, Cabinet member for licensing, added that the consultation would be just the very start of the process.

“No decision will be made until we have completed the consultation and assessed all of the feedback and it is possible that the proposal will change dependent upon the responses that we receive,” he said.

The consultation is expected to run for eight weeks from late September. A decision on whether to implement the levy is set to be made in January 2016.