LONDON (AP) 鈥� A proposal to limit 鈥渧ertical drinking,鈥� a bureaucratic euphemism for having a pint while standing, has turned into a political headache for one local government council in London.
Politicians from Prime Minister Andy Burnham to London Mayor Sadiq Khan have piled in to decry the idea from Westminster City Council, which is responsible for licensing pubs and restaurants in the West End, a nightlife hub popular with tourists and locals.
A feature of many of those pubs is the crowd of drinkers who mill around sharing drinks with friends, often spilling out into the street on warm spring and summer evenings. Lesley Lewis, who has run the French House pub in Soho for 37 years, said discouraging that tradition would only drive customers to other parts of the city.
鈥淲e rely on those people standing up with the rents and the rates (taxes) put upon us,鈥� she said. 鈥淧eople want to enjoy themselves in Soho, they want to have a drink outside, they want to dance. They don鈥檛 want to sit down and just be where they are, they want to meet people and chat.鈥�
With British newspapers filled with headlines such as 鈥淪itting room only at pubs?鈥� and 鈥淪oho鈥檚 pubs won鈥檛 take clamp down on 鈥榲ertical drinking鈥� lying down,鈥� the Westminster council hit back at 鈥渃onfusing鈥� news stories that misrepresented its plans.
Council leader Paul Swaddle issued a press release stressing that the proposal was part of a draft policy that is still open for public comment. The council鈥檚 goal is to reduce noise and disorderly behavior by encouraging bars and restaurants to serve more people at their tables, not bar anyone from having a drink while standing, he said.
鈥淟et me be clear about what we鈥檙e trying to achieve,鈥欌�� he said. 鈥淭his is about safety, not stopping anyone standing at a bar with a pint in their hand.鈥欌��
The council鈥檚 draft licensing policy includes a proposal to discourage 鈥渆xcessive drunkenness鈥� by encouraging business owners to provide more opportunities 鈥渇or people to sit and enjoy a drink and order food by table service in place of open bar space that caters for high volume vertical drinking.鈥�
Westminster has more pubs, bars and restaurants licensed to sell alcohol than any other local authority in the U.K.
While the council鈥檚 policy statement stresses the important role the hospitality industry plays in the local economy, it also says local leaders must ensure Westminster is 鈥渁 great place for residents to live.鈥�
That didn鈥檛 stop the criticism from more senior government officials, who have been focused on bolstering a hospitality industry that still hasn鈥檛 recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic.
A spokesman for Burnham said pubs full of people standing around sharing a pint isn鈥檛 a nuisance, it鈥檚 a part of 鈥淏ritish life.鈥� The prime minister is encouraging local leaders to work with the hospitality industry so that pubs can thrive, he said.
鈥淭he pubs that we鈥檝e got are at the heart of high streets, and I think it鈥檚 really important to signal at the start of my time in office that I will be a defender for them,鈥� Burnham told reporters last month while visiting a pub called the Hare in Harlow, Essex. 鈥淚 will speak up for them and act.鈥�
Khan suggested he would use new powers that will be granted to his office later this year to review the Westminster policy.
鈥淵ou can鈥檛 run a world-famous nightlife district with a village-hall mindset,鈥� Khan said on X. 鈥淟ondon鈥檚 hospitality and nightlife support jobs, culture and growth.鈥�
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