London’s Night Time Commission has produced a new report revealing how London’s successful night-time economy can play a major role in helping to save the capital’s struggling high streets.
Appointed by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, London’s Night Time Commission report has outlined opportunities to make the most of shops and public buildings, which are often empty at night, to tackle the decline in the high street.
London’s night-time economy employs 1.6m people and contributes billions to the economy, but the Commission has made it clear that even more can be done to build on this success and wants to see all activity between 6pm and 6am placed at the heart of London policymaking.
Research has shown that 92 per cent of councils in England believe that the night-time economy can be key in preventing the decline of high street retail*, and the Commission believes London can benefit by making better use of these spaces. This could include retail units or hotel lobbies hosting public art exhibitions, pop-up markets or performances. Parks, museums, libraries and town halls could also offer more at night, building on the success a number are already having by extending their opening hours.
The Commission calls for these available spaces to be utilised after 6pm, to help sustain London’s status as one of the most vibrant and attractive cities in the world.
The Commission was appointed by the Mayor in 2017 to help realise his vision for London as a 24-hour city. Its members have expertise in all aspects of London at night, including council leaders, business leaders, DJ and radio presenters, the Met, TfL, and hospitality leaders.
Sadiq asked the Commission to use their experience and consult with Londoners, workers, councils, businesses, community groups, public sector organisations and visitors to develop a true picture of London between the hours of 6pm and 6am.
Late last year, the Commission and City Hall published a world-first comprehensive data study into London at night to aid their research. This study found that 1.6m Londoners – a third of the capital’s workers – usually work evenings and nights, and jobs in the night-time industries are growing faster than the wider economy. It also found that two-thirds of Londoners are regularly active at night, including running errands and socialising and that there has been an increase in restaurants, cafes and takeaways open at night.
The Commission has today published its final report, detailing its recommendations on how London can become one of the world’s most forward-thinking night-time cities. ‘Think Night: London’s Neighbourhoods from 6pm to 6am’ outlines 10 recommendations to the Mayor, who will now consider them. The recommendations are:
*Place the night at the heart of policymaking by incorporating a night test for all new policies to rate their impact on culture, sociability, wellbeing and economy at night.
*Produce guidance for boroughs to help them to develop night-time strategies with a clear vision for their town centres between 6pm and 6am.
*Set up a night-time data hub including data on the economy, transport, licensing, infrastructure, safety and health, to aid boroughs.
*Publish an annual report on London at night to measure progress and achieve the ambitions of the 24-hour vision.
*Establish a night-time enterprise zone fund, for which boroughs can bid for funds to develop their night-time offer.
*Carry out research to establish the case for longer opening hours.
*Establish new partnerships across the capital to make London at night more welcoming.
*Create guidance to help boroughs and land owners make welcoming, safe and vibrant night-time public spaces.
*Set up a late-night transport working group to ensure night workers can get to and from work quickly and safely.
*Promote London’s night-time offer to Londoners, highlighting the variety and affordable of events currently available.
Sadiq Khan, The Mayor of London
The Mayor has committed to ensuring that London’s night-time culture meets the needs of all Londoners and has pledged to plan for life at night in the same way the city does for the day. His work has already included teaming up with local authorities and developers to help safeguard night-time economy and culture venues, including setting up a Night Time Borough Champions Network, chaired by his Night Czar. He also launched the Night Tube and Night Overground and established the Women’s Night Safety Charter.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “London’s night-time economy is integral to our success as a city – employing 1.6m and contributing billions to our economy. It plays a huge role in the daily life of Londoners and is a big draw for visitors to our capital, but for too long it has been an afterthought. I’m determined that London is a city that works for all, 24-hours a day, and that’s why I’ve been working hard to champion the night-time economy and asked the Night Time Commission to help realise our ambitions. I’d like to thank the Commission for their thorough and world-leading work and will be considering their recommendations carefully.”
Chair of the London Night Time Commission and UKHospitality Chief Executive Kate NichollsKate Nicholls, Chair of the London Night Time Commission, said: “London at night is dynamic and diverse. It’s a success story, with two-thirds of Londoners regularly active and 1.6m of us working. But, like the Mayor, we believe the capital can be so much more at night – with more chances to shop, to rest, to explore, to innovate and to grow. We can extend the opening hours of our traditional cultural offerings to reach more Londoners and we can bring underused spaces to life at night and help tackle the decline of our high streets. To do this we must improve planning for the night and that’s why we want to see every borough, with the support of the Mayor, set out a positive vision for their night-time economy, to drive forward improvements at all hours and retain the special character of each area.”
