Southampton licensing committee recommends late-night levy

If approved by full council next week (17 September), a levy will have to be paid by all premises authorised to supply alcohol between midnight and 6am from April 2015.

Southampton City Council’s licensing committee chair Matt Tucker tweeted:

good comments from residents and trade on Late Night Levy at Licensing Committee today. Majority vote to recommend that Council adopts Levy.

— Matt Tucker (@CllrMTucker) September 11, 2014

The decision has been announced a week after the Publican’s Morning Advertiser​ reported that respondents to the consultation on the levy criticised the council for presenting “flawed data” that was not specific to the levy period.

Almost two thirds of respondents also said they did not support the introduction of a levy.

The cost of the levy depends on the rateable value of the premises and ranges from £299 and £4,440 per year.

It is estimated a levy could raise £100,000 for the police and council.

Richard Ivory, Southampton City Council’s head of legal and democratic services, said: “The principle behind the council proposing the late-night levy is that of the need to maintain - and hopefully increase - the range of measures including direct policing costs directly related to managing the antisocial aspects of the city’s night time economy and primarily alcohol-related behaviour post-midnight. It is clear that there is a significant cost - not solely police costs - in managing this.”