Camden Council has voted to introduce a Late Night Levy from 28 April.
It means operators opening between these times will be ordered to pay up to £4,400 a year to the local authority.
A discount of 30% will be applied to businesses within the local BID areas and premises with a non domestic rateable value of £12,000 or less. In relation to New Years Eve a general exception was made.
Michelle Hazlewood, partner at licensing law firm John Gaunt, made submissions at the meeting as to the benefits of further exemptions, particularly for hotels providing overnight accommodation and the unintended consequences of the levy.
Hazlewood said there followed a discussion in which some members expressed the view that the economic cost to business should be assessed, along with the potential cost to individuals who may lose contractual hours if the levy was adopted. One councillor suggested that an economic assessment should be undertaken to identify the aforementioned impacts.
Hazlewood said: “Although the levy was voted in, I believe our submission raised the unintended consequences of the adoption of the Levy and widened the debate from just financial returns for the Borough and financial impacts on the operators.”
