Is Sadiq Khan finally getting something right on London’s nightlife?
It has taken eight years – and the appointment of one disastrous night czar – but Sadiq Khan is finally listening to industry when it comes to the future of London’s after hours leisure economy, writes James Ford
As a former aide to the previous Mayor of London, it is very rare that I find myself saying anything positive about Sadiq Khan. My usual response to a press release from City Hall is to find my blood pressure rising and, if moved to write a response, it is a furious denunciation typed angrily and at pace. It is, therefore, with a profound sense of discomfort and surprise (and much to the relief of the keys on my long-suffering laptop) that I find myself writing that I think the mayor is doing something right. By launching a new nightlife taskforce, and having it advise on whether to appoint a new Night Czar, Sir Sadiq finally seems to be doing what is best for London’s beleaguered nighttime economy.
Why do I think he is doing the right thing? Well, for the very simple reason that he is doing precisely what I told him to. Some months ago, in the wake of the resignation of the mayor’s discredited night czar Amy Lame, I wrote in these illustrious pages to suggest that City Hall needed to take three urgent steps to salvage something from the burning dumpster fire that was Lame’s tenure. Top amongst these suggestions was to take the politics out of the role by increasing the range of voices involved in the appointment. Having a group of industry leaders and sector experts advise on how to proceed should help to ensure that the next night czar can do their job without having a large target pinned to their back or become a lightning rod for criticism from opposition parties.
This is not just sound policy but smart politics too. Politicians of all stripes often struggle to U-turn on failed policies because to do so is to admit that they made a mistake. (In politics, sorry always seems to be the hardest word). Afterall, admitting to an error is something they hate to do and, worse still, something their opponents will not let them forget. However, acting on the advice of industry experts with real, frontline knowledge of the issues at hand provides sufficient political cover for City Hall to change course without lingering too long on what went wrong previously or why they did not change course sooner.
Time to take the night time economy seriously
It remains to be seen if the mayor will heed my other two pieces of unsolicited advice on how to fix the office of night czar: avoid appointing another Labour crony to the role and give the post some real power. However, there is certainly growing evidence that City Hall is not just changing course when it comes to its policy approach to London’s afterhours economy but also taking that economy much more seriously. In addition to fulfilling a manifesto commitment, establishing the nightlife taskforce also initiates a six-month investigation into the challenges facing businesses in the night time economy. As many of the newly appointed members of the taskforce were also contributors to the London Assembly’s recent inquiry into the nighttime economy, their submissions to that inquiry should hint at what their formal investigation is likely to conclude later this year. (However, it is worth noting that the Assembly’s investigation heard evidence before Lame’s resignation and, pointedly, avoided asking questions about the post of night czar itself).
Whilst City Hall might be getting its act together and finally engaging with the policy challenges that have held back the capital’s economy, the mayor may yet find himself on a collision course with fellow Labour politicians in the UK government. Both the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) and UK Hospitality (UKH) – whose CEOs are now members of Sadiq’s Nightlife Taskforce – have been very vocal about the negative impact that the Treasury’s increase in employer National Insurance Contributions (NICs) have had on the sector. UKH has warned that the April increase in NICs could see 70 per cent of hospitality firms make cuts to their workforce whilst the NTIA has flagged rising employment costs as a factor slowing growth in the sector. UKH has also voiced concern about the impact of the proposed Employment Rights Bill, one of the government’s flagship pieces of legislation. It seems unlikely that City Hall is going to stand up to Rachel Reeves over either issue anytime soon, especially when the mayor is currently lobbying HM Treasury for additional powers and funding.
Much as it might stick in my craw, the mayor deserves credit for changing course in an area of policy where he has been hitherto struggling to have an impact. There may yet be challenges and obstacles ahead, but he has now put industry in the driving seat and seems set to take an evidence-based approach. This should lead to better outcomes not just for the sector but for the capital’s clubbers, pub-goers and revellers. And, as for what else he should fix about his mayoralty? Well, he’ll have to wait and see what unsolicited advice I proffer next…
James Ford is a public affairs consultant and former advisor to then mayor of London Boris Johnson