Newcastle City Council is the first, and so far the only, authority to introduce the levy, which will have to be paid by licensed premises operating between midnight and 6am.
The amount of the fee will depend on the rateable value of the affected premises, and range from £299 to £4,400 per year, or in daily terms from 82p to £12.16 per day.
However, licensees signed up to a new Council-initiated best-practice scheme will receive a 30% discount.
Kingston
Meanwhile, Kingston Council has rejected proposals for an early morning restriction order (EMRO) consultation due to lack of evidence.
Licensing committee members ditched plans to consult on the measure at a meeting held earlier this month, by a majority of 14-1 (an abstention). The councillors determined that the police evidence submitted to support the EMRO proposal – which would have stopped alcohol sales at 3am within the borough’s cumulative impact area – was insufficient to merit taking the proposal any further.
Poppleston Allen licensing law firm made submissions against the EMRO proposal on behalf of both the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers and local operators, and Luminar Group, which operates two large nightclubs in the town centre, also submitted representations.
Kingston’s licensing committee has resolved to review the matter in a year’s time, but only if the police provide detailed and sufficient evidence to support such an order.
Blackpool
A new date has been set for a hearing into a proposed EMRO in Blackpool, after the last date was cancelled due to failures in the pre-hearing procedure.
Licensing councillors will now meet from Monday 9 December until Friday 13 December to hear representations on the proposal to ban alcohol sales after 3am in parts of the town centre.
The hearing was originally due to take place on 4 and 5 September, but licensing law firm John Gaunt & Partners argued that the local authority had failed to give the required notice of the hearing and neglected to circulate evidence as required at least 10 working days in advance.