NEWCASTLE CC FIRST TO INTRODUCE LATE NIGHT LEVY

On the 30th October 2013 Newcastle City Council published the following:

A late night levy - the first in the UK - will be introduced in Newcastle this Friday (Nov 1).

It means that licensed premises which sell alcohol between midnight and 6am will have to pay an annual levy of between £299 and £4,400 depending on their rateable value.

The money raised will be split between the council (30 per cent) and the police (70 per cent) and used to address crime and disorder, public safety, public nuisance and street cleansing relating to the supply of alcohol.

The money will be used exclusively in the city centre where it is raised and a Late Night Levy board will supervise how it is spent.

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

“However, it also has less welcome consequences - noise, crime, anti-social behaviour and negative health impacts.

“The levy will ensure that  businesses which benefit from the late night economy make a limited contribution to these costs, which will help the city remain as one of the safest in the country and attractive to investors and visitors.”

Stephen Savage, Director of Regulatory Services and Public Protection, said: “The Government has provided this levy as a further power to help local authorities recover the costs of alcohol related crime and disorder which we strongly feel taxpayers should not bear the brunt of.

“We are working on a bespoke Best Practice Scheme (BPS) which, if premises sign-up to and meet the standards, will be eligible for a 30 per cent discount off the levy.”

So far, 135 premises have signed up to the BPS.

The levy is not intended to restrict the extent of the late night economy, but ensure a contribution towards the costs of it. Newcastle’s nightlife continues to be vibrant, with several new premises recently opening in the city centre.

The amount of the levy, set by Government, depends on the rateable value of the premises and ranges from £299 to £4,400 per year (or in daily terms from 82 pence to £12.16 per day).

The levy may be used to fund 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.

The decision to introduce the levy was taken by Full Council on July 3 of this year after a 12 week consultation with the licensed trade.

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.

There are around 350 licensed premises across Newcastle.  Around 270-280 licensed premises will be affected by the late night levy.

Comment: This is the way to fund Taxi Marshals. Charge the Companies which sell the  alcohol. Do not charge Hackney propriortors who have to remove the problem after they have been sold to much alcolol.