Have you no homes to go to? Soho's standing pub row boils over

Last orders for standing at the bar? London's pubs fight back

Nothing says summer in Britain quite like standing outside a pub with friends, drink in hand, putting the world to rights. Yet one London council is considering proposals that critics say could change centuries of pub culture by discouraging so-called "vertical drinking" and limiting orders at the bar.

Supporters say the move would reduce disruption and excessive drinking. Opponents argue it would raise costs, drive customers away and deal another blow to an industry already fighting for survival. With hundreds of pubs closing every year, many are asking whether Britain's most famous social institution is being regulated out of existence.

Have you no homes to go to?

In this hot weather, with little chance of getting wet, a real pleasure has been meeting up with friends and standing outside the great British pub with a G&T. As the evenings cool down the conversation flows. People move between groups and meet new friends. This is how British people have experienced going to the pub for centuries.

One local authority is trying to call time on the practice. Westminster council, responsible for the pubs in one of the busiest areas for nightlife in the UK, Soho in the centre of London, is proposing to put a stop to “vertical drinking” or ordering at the bar.

Closures

The mayor of London is incensed. He says these are “restrictive and anti-growth policies”. Pubs are struggling big time with 17 pubs closing in London in the last 3 months and 366 closing around the country in the last year. This isn’t the time to put restrictions in place that will discourage consumers, with little enough money to spend, from enjoying a night out

Granted, the policy is being consulted on and may never see the light of day. It’s framed as “discouraging excessive drunkenness” and encouraging more seating in premises that serve alcohol for people to sit and enjoy a drink and order food by table service. The proposal goes on to recommend that sales of alcohol and food should be “by waiter or waitress service only”.

Increasing costs and fewer customers

This isn’t the time to be increasing the wage and National insurance bills of pubs by demanding they have waiting staff on call. Talk about lumping additional costs onto a sector already on its knees.

Licensing lawyer Philip Kolvin KC said: “Vertical drinking is also social drinking, allowing people to mix and socialise as they wish, rather than being confined to their predetermined groups. This is asking the traditional pub not to behave as a traditional pub and to ask people to stay with the group they came with. One could characterise this as being contrary to the ethos of pubs as places which promote community cohesion.”

The Mayor of London’s spokesperson says: “At a time when venues need our support more than ever, the rules on licensing are stacked against them.”

The mayor is to get powers via secondary legislation expected to be passed in Westminster later this year, which will allow him to “call in” decisions made by local councils. This comes after he criticised a community group funded by the council, which vowed to object to all new bar and restaurant licences.

Challenging times

The Soho Society, a group established in 1972 aimed at “preserving the character of Soho”, voted in its AGM earlier this summer for a new licensing mandate, meaning it will challenge all new applications for bars and restaurants in the area, including reviews of existing licences. It will also object to any venue that wishes to open beyond “core hours”, which Westminster council decrees end between 10.30pm and midnight, depending on the business and day of the week.

If anything is likely to destroy the character of Soho rather than preserve it, this is it. Pubs have been abundant across the area for centuries and they are reducing in number drastically, as the costs of living and of doing business deter consumers from spending and business bosses from struggling to stay operating. If you want fewer pubs and less noise just do nothing and they will fold without any help.

We need growth

The Greater Manchester former night-time adviser, says the draft licensing policy, recommending banning standing in pubs, and ordering at the bar is like dragging us back to Covid times.

We need every small and micro business we have in the UK, in whatever sector they operate, to flourish and thrive, to drive the growth the Government wants to see. We need to support them in every way possible and adding more pressure that drives down customers numbers, raises costs and reduces margins has to be binned.