Nottingham: Late-night levy revoked to help pubs and bars

The scheme was introduced to help police with the cost of dealing with alcohol-related disorder

A late-night levy on pubs and bars in Nottingham is to be revoked from next month in a bid to ease financial pressure on local businesses.

The charge, on licensed premises open between midnight and 06:00, was introduced in 2014.

Funds raised by the system were split between the city council and the police to help tackle alcohol-related crime and disorder.

The authority confirmed the levy would be revoked from 31 October.

Members of the Business Improvement District (BID) had previously been given an exemption, but it has now been decided that the charge should be scrapped completely.

The council said the economic situation for the hospitality industry had changed since the introduction of the levy eight years ago, adding that it was placing a difficult burden on existing licensed trade businesses.

At a full council meeting on Monday, councillors endorsed the revocation of the scheme, meaning it will stop at the end of October.

Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhoods, Safety and Inclusion, Neghat Khan, said: "A lot has changed since the Late Night Levy was introduced eight years ago, with the hospitality industry really struggling during the pandemic - only to be hit by the cost-of-living crisis bringing them higher bills and lower incomes from reduced customer numbers.

"It was the right time for us to consider whether the levy should be revoked, to ease the financial burden on existing businesses and to help encourage businesses looking to expand or invest in Nottingham's late night economy."

The council said it anticipated that the loss of this income from the levy would be offset by Nottinghamshire's Police and Crime Commissioner receiving an extra £13m towards recruiting more police officers.