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It’s no secret that London’s nightlife is not what it used to be. Ticket prices are climbing as promoters and club owners try to keep up with rising costs, all while young people are going out less and less. It seems like it’s every other week that a new venue is under threat of closure as property developers move in, and it’s even a struggle to find a decent place to get a pint past 1am these days.
Enter the Nightlife Taskforce, a project launched by mayor of London Sadiq Khan with the aim of boosting the capital’s struggling night economy. The group was promised in Khan’s re-election manifesto, and the creation follows the resignation of Amy Lamé last October, who spent eight years as London’s night czar and faced criticism about the size of her salary and claims that she needed to do more to stop venues from closing after the pandemic.
The new taskforce will be made up of 11 industry experts, including Cameron Leslie, co-founder of Fabric nightclub, as chair. Other members include Sophie Brownlee, external affairs manager at the Music Venue Trust, Alice Hoffman-Fuller, former art director at Corsica Studios, Nadine Noor, founder of party promoters Pxssy Palace, Michael Kill, CEO of the Night Time Industries Association and Nathaneal Williams, founder of Colour Factory.
If you’re asking us? It looks like a pretty decent bunch of folk who are already actively involved in the best of London’s nightlife already. If anyone should know what they’re talking about, it’s them.
The plan is they’ll meet regularly and the first six months will be spent examining ‘challenges and opportunities facing London’s ever-evolving nightlife’. They’ll have access to an advisory group with reps from Metropolitan Police, Transport for London, London Councils and trade unions, and they’ll also decide if they’ll find a replacement for the night czar role, or get rid for good.
‘The rising cost of living and operational costs, shifts in consumer behaviour, staffing shortages and licensing issues have all been hitting businesses hard,’ said Sadiq Khan, about the taskforce. ‘I’m determined to do all I can to work alongside our nighttime industries, which is why I’ve brought together this independent taskforce of experts to examine and address the opportunities and issues facing the industry.’
The UK night time economy was worth £33.3bn in 2022, according to the Night Time Industries Association.
So far, so good? The creation of the group is looking like a positive step forward for the capital’s nightlife, and we’ll continue to report on all of the latest happenings – from the outcome of Drumsheds' licensing review to Fabric’s buzzy new dance floor – right here.
Feel like a party? Check out our list of London’s very best nightclubs.
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