A new report shared by the London Nightlife Taskforce includes a number of recommendations to city officials on how they can support London’s nighttime economy.
The 59-page document, commissioned by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and published today (January 27), aims to put forward a variety of measures that can help to fix the “fragile and fragmented” condition of the capital’s nightlife. These recommendations cover reforms related to licensing, planning and transport, warning that without urgent and sustained action, the city’s nighttime economy will lose venues, workers and patrons at an ever-growing rate.
Chief among the report’s recommendations is the introduction of a London Nightlife Commission, which the London Nightlife Taskforce argues should be given statutory powers to protect and help develop nightlife in the capital. This would be a marked development from the previous role of the night czar – a position held by Amy Lamé for eight years until she departed in late 2024 – which didn’t have such powers. The report suggests the commission should be given the backing to coordinate formally between the mayor’s office at City Hall, the Metropolitan Police, local authorities across London and transport bodies.
London Nightlife Taskforce’s report says it’s currently difficult to face up to any of the issues that London’s nighttime economy is facing – such as rising rent costs, and planning and licensing issues – because “responsibility is dispersed” and matters are falling by the wayside amid “policy gaps, duplication and slow decision-making”.
The report further says that licensing policy is unevenly enacted across London’s 32 boroughs, and argues that this should be solved with the introduction of clearer London-wide guidance on licensing decisions, as well as more robust protections for cultural venues.
The report offers “the most detailed picture we’ve ever had of the challenges and opportunities facing our capital at night,” Mayor Sadiq Khan said. “The taskforce’s recommendations set out a bold future for our life at night and I’m committed to working with partners to do all I can to support this.”
The London Nightlife Taskforce was set up in early 2025 as a replacement for the night czar role vacated by Amy Lamé. The team is made up of fabric co-founder Cameron Leslie; Night Time Industries Association CEO Michael Kill; PXSSY PALACE founder Nadine Noor; Music Venues Trust external affairs manager Sophie Brownlee; Corsica Studios head of operations Alice Hoffmann-Fuller; UK Hospitality CEO Kate Nicholls; Broadwick Live head of operations Sam Spencer; Colour Factory founder Nathanael Williams; DJ, radio host and promoter Lily London; Daytimers founder Provhat Rahman; and Fuller, Smith & Turner communications manager Georgina Wald.
Read the full report here.
