Act now to make the most of summer, councils told

Scenes like these were common in Soho during the summers of 2020 and 2021

Councils in the capital have been urged to support "popular and exciting" ideas like outdoor dining and late-night openings in a letter written by two deputy mayors for London.

Justine Simons and Howard Dawber said they want to boost the economy and tourism ahead of a pilot scheme granting Sadiq Khan new strategic licensing powers.

Last week, London Councils, which represents the 32 boroughs, called for a new power-sharing arrangement with the mayor, giving them a formal say over the capital's strategic direction.

Sacha Lord, chair of the Night Time Industries Association says: "This looks like good news for London and I hope the rest of the UK follows suit."

The deputy mayors for culture and business wrote that the hospitality sector faces "significant challenges" but they want to make licencing policy work better for London.

Large parts of Soho were transformed immediately after Covid restrictions were lifted in 2020-21, as traffic was banned from many streets and replaced by tables and chairs.

Mr Lord said outdoor areas could be the difference between surviving and closure for restaurants and bars, "especially when the sun's out", but "time and time again, venues are held back by unnecessary red tape and needless delays".

He urged venues to "act now to make the most of the summer", as some of the licences can take up to a month to process.