The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has announced the members of a new independent Nightlife Taskforce created to help support the capital’s life at night.
The Taskforce brings together a range of experts from the frontline of the capital’s nightlife to examine and address the issues facing the industries and provide recommendations on how to ensure the nighttime economy can thrive.
In recent years London’s nightlife and nighttime industries, along with other cities in the UK, have faced a huge range of challenges. These include the long-lasting impact of the pandemic, rising rents and business rates, staffing shortages, licensing and planning issues, and cost-of-living and cost-of-doing business pressures.
Sadiq Khan is determined to do all he can to work with partners to help the capital’s nightlife communities and industries navigate these challenges and buck global trends, which is why he’s brought together London’s first ever Nightlife Taskforce.
The Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) recently published figures showing a 32.7 per cent decline in nightclubs across the country since 2020. London saw the smallest decline with a 19.7 per cent decrease from March 2020 to November 2024, compared to Manchester which saw a decrease of 33.3 per cent and Birmingham had a drop of 38.5 per cent.
Despite these ongoing challenges, the landscape of London’s nightlife continues to evolve to meet the changing needs of Londoners and visitors to the capital. This has seen it diversify from zone one to include a range of other locations including Hackney, Peckham and Tottenham.
The Taskforce will be chaired by Cameron Leslie, Co-founder and Director of fabric, and includes representatives from the heart of London’s nightlife, including Nadine Noor, Founder of Pxssy Palace, Nathanael Williams, Founder of Colour Factory, and Alice Hoffman Fuller, Head of Operations at Corsica Studios; as well key industry bodies Kate Nicholls CEO of UK Hospitality, Mike Kill CEO of Night Time Industries Association, and Sophie Brownlee, External Affairs Manager at Music Venue Trust.
We spoke with Michael Kill, CEO NTIA about the news, Kill told us: “As CEO of the Night Time Industries Association, I am proud to be part of London’s Night Time Economy Taskforce. This initiative comes at a crucial time, as our nightlife sector faces ongoing challenges, from rising operational costs to regulatory pressures and shifting consumer behaviours.”
“The creation of this taskforce demonstrates a strong commitment to supporting and revitalising the capital’s night-time economy. By working collaboratively with key stakeholders, we can tackle the issues affecting late-night businesses and implement strategies to ensure a thriving, sustainable future for London’s nightlife.”
“I look forward to playing an active role in these discussions, representing our industry, and working towards practical solutions that will help safeguard and grow this vital part of our culture and economy.”
Each member brings a wealth of experience and expertise, and over the next six months they will meet regularly to examine and address the challenges and opportunities facing London’s ever-evolving nightlife.
They will have access to an advisory group that will includes representatives from the Met Police, TfL, London Councils, trade unions, the broader business community and supply chain businesses. They will also be supported by Nightlife Research consultants Vibe Lab who will be calling on Londoners to help provide evidence to the taskforce to help develop their recommendations.
The Taskforce will provide a series of recommendations to the Mayor that will then help to build on City Hall’s ongoing work to support nightlife. This includes protecting hundreds of venues from closure through the Culture and Community Spaces at Risk office, working with boroughs to develop London’s first ever local Night Time Strategies, introducing the Night Tube and Overground, creating the most night-friendly London Plan to date, cutting red tape with our Business Friendly Licensing Fund, and launching the Women’s Night Safety Charter.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “London’s nightlife industries are vital to the success of our capital, but, as with other cities across the country, they have faced a huge range of challenges in recent years. The rising cost of living and operational costs, shifts in consumer behaviour, staffing shortages and licensing issues have all been hitting businesses hard. I’m determined to do all I can to work alongside our nighttime industries, which is why I’ve brought together this independent taskforce of experts to examine and address the opportunities and issues facing the industry. Their expertise and unparalleled knowledge garnered from years of working across a range of nighttime industries will help to inform and develop our collective efforts to support nightlife, as we continue to build a better London for everyone.”
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