Westminster Council’s standing-drinker policy sparks Soho pub closures warning

Soho pubs could be forced to cut the number of drinkers standing inside under new licensing rules proposed by Westminster City Council. The draft policy, open for public consultation until 9 August, would require venues to demonstrate "meaningful reductions in actual operating capacity" when applying for licences. Measures could include table service or limits on "vertical drinking".

The council’s cumulative impact zone already covers Soho, Covent Garden, Leicester Square, Piccadilly Circus and parts of Fitzrovia and Mayfair. This designation allows refusals of new licences if they risk increasing crime or public nuisance. The new policy would tighten these rules further.

Pub owners warn of closures

Lesley Lewis, owner of The French House in Soho for 37 years, told the *Evening Standard* the policy would "kill the whole business". The 71-year-old said: "We rely on those people standing up with the rents and the rates put upon us. People want to enjoy themselves in Soho, they want to have a drink outside, they want to dance."

Jan De Vries, general manager at Bradley’s Spanish Bar, said reducing standing drinkers would be the "nail in the coffin" for independent pubs. The venue has only 30 seats across two floors. "It would just not be viable," he said. De Vries suggested the council "wants everybody off the streets after 11pm."

Political and public backlash

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan criticised the policy on X, writing: "You can’t run a world-famous nightlife district with a village-hall mindset. London’s hospitality and nightlife support jobs, culture and growth." Khan added that new mayoral powers could allow him to block council decisions.

Downing Street also weighed in, calling busy pubs "British life" and urging councils to "work with" landlords. A spokesperson said: "Busy pubs full of people talking to each other is not a public nuisance, it is thousands of jobs." The government is devolving new licensing powers to the Mayor to support nightlife.

Punters in Soho told the *Evening Standard* the proposals would damage the area’s social atmosphere. One called the policy "idiotic", while another said: "It’s not an alcohol thing. It’s part of lapping up the atmosphere." A third questioned why Oxford Street was being pedestrianised while Soho’s pavements were being restricted.

Council defends consultation

Westminster City Council leader Paul Swaddle said there was "no plan" to stop vertical drinking. The Conservative councillor said the policy was still under consultation. Deputy leader Tim Barnes added: "It is utterly ludicrous to suggest the Council is planning to ‘ban’ people standing up in pubs."

Barnes said the guidance aimed to prevent pavement crowding and excessive drinking disturbing passers-by. He noted that fewer than 1.5% of licence applications are rejected annually, and new venues continue to open. The council has launched a campaign to promote nights out in Soho.

What happens next

The consultation on Westminster’s draft licensing policy closes on 9 August. Residents, businesses and visitors can submit responses online. The council will then review feedback before finalising the policy. If adopted, venues applying for licences would need to show how they will manage capacity and crowding.

Mayor Sadiq Khan’s new powers to intervene in licensing decisions could come into effect later this year. The government has said these will help protect nightlife, but it is unclear how they will interact with Westminster’s policy.