Is Westminster Council really going to ban standing up in pubs and bars?

London’s evening and night-time economy is once again in the spotlight following reports that Westminster City Council wants pubs in Soho and the West End to ban people drinking while standing-up.

But, like most things, it is a little more complicated than that. The short answer is no: vertical drinking, as it is known, is not going to be blanket banned across Central London pubs.

So, where has this claim come from and what is really going on with standing-up in pubs within Soho and the West End?

On 6 August the Guardian published an article with the headline: “Council wants pubs in London’s Soho and West End to ban standing.” A classic “silly season” story.

The claims are based on Westminster’s new draft licensing policy which is currently out for public consultation.

A key extract says that the council will: “Discourage excessive drunkenness and encourage the provision of more seating in premises that serve alcohol for people to stand enjoy a drink and order food by table service in place of open bar space that caters for high volume vertical drinking.”

It is right to say that Westminster City Council has expressed a written preference for seated drinking operations.

However, there is nothing in the draft licensing policy to suggest that there will be a ban on standing-up in pubs, especially in existing operations.

The policy statement is there to address the concern expressed by residents and public services about the amount of crime and anti-social behaviour driven by the evening and night-time economy.

Regardless, the question is, should Londoners be concerned over the impact this focus will have on London’s nightlife?

Some people have suggested that prioritising seating in an area like Soho is essentially encouraging pubs not to behave like pubs.

The policy does make it clear that the council is encouraging new venues to be designed around seated drinking. The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has been quick to criticise the this.

A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: “This is more evidence that restrictive and anti-growth policies aren’t working. At a time when venues need our support more than ever, the rules on licensing are stacked against them.

“That’s why the new powers the Mayor is getting from Government are so important, as they mean the Mayor will be able to call in licensing decisions and have a say in local policies to protect London’s vital nightlife and hospitality industries’.”

In response to the draft policy, a spokesperson for the Soho Business Alliance told the Press Association: “I think they’re trying to reduce the capacities in these venues.

“It’s been like that for years where people are standing and drinking, it’s not causing crime, it’s not causing issues.

“It’s them trying to change the nature of Soho and it’s quite sad that they’ve gone to such lengths to sanitise the area.

“They don’t want the late-night economy.

“This policy completely contradicts the Mayor of London’s London plan.”

In particular, seated operations are encouraged in the “Good Operator Guide” for businesses in the Cumulative Impact Zone (CIZ) —  an area covering parts of Central London with stricter licensing controls.

It has been long-standing policy to refuse applications for this area unless they can prove they will not add to this “cumulative impact.” Restricting vertical drinking is one way which applicants could show that they will not be doing this, according to the guide.

The council has also expressed concerns over restaurants located in the CIZ operating as a bar space. Their draft policy says the council would focus enforcements on preventing these types of venues moving more towards this type of operation.

However, Sadiq Khan now has increased influence over London’s licensing strategy via the 2026 English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act.

This gives the Mayor powers like creating a London-wide Strategic Licensing Policy and making formal representations on licensing decisions. Later this year, secondary legislation from Government will set out how the call-in power works in practice.

Cllr Tim Barnes, Westminster City Council deputy leader and cabinet member for growth and planning, said: “It is utterly ludicrous to suggest the Council is planning to “ban” people standing up in pubs. Suggesting otherwise is a wilful misreading of the policy proposals with clauses taken out of context.

“We want people to go out in the West End and have a good time. Our guidance is simply about encouraging venues to manage their customers so people don’t pack onto pavements or excessive drinking doesn’t disturb others passing by.

“The Cumulative Impact Zone is recognised as an area that has a high concentration of activity and particular policies exist for that in Westminster and the Mayor’s London-wider planning. There is a legal obligation to look at every application on its merits and we do just that, meaning we see new venues opening all the time.

“Again, there is little change here from the policy of previous administrations and we have seen new pubs and fast-food outlets open recently including a license extension for the McDonald’s on Leicester Square, which will now be open 24 hours despite objections from the Mayor’s police representatives.

“We are the country’s largest planning authority with some 4,000 licensed venues. We reject less than 1.5 per cent of license applications and there is a strong desire to see thriving, profitable, venues across Westminster.

“As we have made clear we are happy to work with the Mayor of London on licensing and have just launched our own campaign to promote nights out in Soho.”

Downing Street then piled in with a spokesperson for Number 10 telling the Guardian: “Busy pubs full of people talking to each other is not a public nuisance, it is British life, and it is thousands of jobs.”

Council leader Paul Swaddle responded, saying: “The last 24 hours have seen a great deal of confusing stories about our proposed licensing polices. I want to be straight with people. There is no plan, and never has been, to ban drinking while standing up in a Westminster pub.

“The misleading stories have led to a lot of questions and comments and we welcome those. We will take the time to properly answer people’s questions and set out clearly, in plain English, exactly what this policy does and doesn’t do.

“It’s also worth saying: the confusion here hasn’t come from residents or businesses asking genuine questions, it’s come from those operating their own agenda and others jumping on this to make a political point. We’re happy to answer the real questions,” he said.

Oxford Street Development Corporation said they welcomed the draft policy but said “parts of it risk being too restrictive and precautionary”.

According the draft licensing policy, Westminster has more licensed venues than any other council area in the UK, with nearly 500 pubs, bars and wine bars.

In January this year a report by the Safer Westminster Partnership stated: “Serious violence remains strongly linked to the night-time economy and the West End, where more than half of such incidents occur. While robbery offences have decreased, sexual offences have risen, emphasising that women’s safety should be a key priority.”

The report warns that an “estimated 40 per cent of violent crimes are alcohol-related” — around 6,997 incidents in Westminster last year, costing £85mn.

“Public services, including health and police, bear the burden of these consequences, with staff often becoming victims themselves.”

Have your say on Westminster Council’s new licensing policy.

Additional reporting by Linus Rees.

Editor’s note: this report was updated shortly after publication to include a statement from Downing Street and from Cllr Paul Swaddle, leader of Westminster City Council. A further update was made on 18 August to include reference to a response from Oxford Street Development Corporation.

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