Liverpool late-night levy to be enforced by April 2017

The levy will apply to premises authorised to sell alcohol between midnight and 6am and exemptions included sites only permitted to sell alcohol on New Year’s Eve within the levy supply period and members of the business improvement district (BID).

The council have said 70% of the net amount collected will go to the Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner with the remaining fund to be used by the City Council.

Avoid paying the fee

For venues to avoid paying the LNL fee, minor variations to amend the hours of the premises licence will be accepted by the licensing authority until 31 January 2017.

Consultation for the levy showed two thirds (63%) of respondents agreed with an LNL in some form​ – but just 20% agreed with the council’s initial proposals.

The original plans which were scrapped in March, were changed, as requested by the licensing committee, with revised proposals to be trialled for a year and will see BID premises exempt from fees, alongside theatres, bingo venues, local village pubs and cinemas.

The consultation also showed ‘strong opposition’ among licence holders serving alcohol between the hours of midnight and 6am, which is when the scheme will be operational.

Negatively impact business

Four out of 10 respondents to the LNL survey said it would negatively impact business, and a fifth said ‘pre-loading premises’ should be included.

The Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR) and the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) hit out at Liverpool City Council​’s decision and called the LNL “disappointing”.

The trade bodies also questioned whether the local authority had the powers to implement the scheme without further consultation.