City of London to bring in code of good practice for licensed premises

The City of London Corporation is to bring in a ‘code of good practice’ and ‘traffic light system’ for licensed premises this month.

The City Corporation, the municipal body for the Square Mile, is also to consult on introducing a late night levy.

The code of practice sets out what the licensing authority expects in practical terms from alcohol providers and outlines good practice for ‘well run’ premises.

The City Corporation said applicants and licensees would be expected to make a proactive commitment to preventing problems from occurring at licensed premises through the adoption of the code.  



“The code of good practice will be used when the City Corporation offers advice to licence applicants and when licensing objectives have not been adequately addressed by existing licensees who may be encountering problems,” it said.

The City Corporation added that the aim was to avoid the need for enforcement action, but would not replace enforcement action where it was necessary.

The traffic light scheme is part of a risk assessment process intended to flag up problematic premises at an early stage. Advice and support will then be offered to those premises.

The scheme will have a points classification where penalty points are marked against premises for each relevant incident that occurs there.  



However, it will also recognise good practice and award credit points where appropriate measures have been implemented and remedy the problem, the City Corporation said. 

Licensed premises – of which the Square Mile has 750 – will then fall into a green, amber or red zone based on their total penalty points at a given time.



Nearly 300 of the premises are licensed to sell alcohol after midnight on at least one day a week.

Edward Lord, chairman of the City of London Corporation’s licensing committee, which runs the scheme, said: “These programmes will help to reduce alcohol related crime and disorder in the City, particularly at night.

“But more importantly they will ensure a safe and vibrant night-time economy in the Square Mile, keeping the City safe and enjoyable for its residents and workers, and ensuring that the world’s leading international financial centre remains an attractive place to work and live.”