Groucho Club to reopen in January after licence reinstated

The Groucho Club is to reopen on 10 January after its licence was conditionally re-instated after police proposed new rules on members bringing guests.

The London private members’ club, popular with A-list celebrities, had its licence temporarily suspended following allegations that a woman was raped inside the venue on November 13 this year.

A 34-year-old man was arrested in Hertfordshire on suspicion of rape and has subsequently been bailed.

 

Staff at the club broke down in tears on Wednesday when a Westminster City Council licensing sub-committee lifted the suspension with immediate effect, provided the club complies with new licence conditions that will be decided on in the coming days.

A spokesperson for the Groucho told The Caterer it would reopen in January following its normal Christmas closure.

During the hearing, the Metropolitan Police made 13 recommendations for the new licence conditions, including proper supervision of toilet areas and a tightening-up of “previously lax procedures” relating to members and their guests.

Discussions referencing the police investigation were held in private.

Gary Grant, representing the force, said police had found "a number of breaches" of licensing conditions at the time of the alleged offence.

 

New rules to protect guests

The proposed new licence conditions include using CCTV to monitor toilets and only allowing one person at at time into toilet cubicles.

 

Police also suggested tougher rules on membership such as imposing a minimum 48-hour window between application and acceptance as a member.

 

Members would only be able to bring up to four guests at a time unless they were dining at the restaurant, and guests would have to provide their names and telephone numbers on entry.

The information would be electronically stored and potentially made available for inspection by the city council or police on request, the Met proposed.

Guests must enter the club with a member and remain in their company while inside, Grant said, and front-of-house staff would undertake welfare and vulnerability training.

 

Club apologises

Philip Kolvin KC, for Groucho, said: “On behalf of the club, we are grateful to all parties that have spoken – I don’t think anything has been said that we would have any great disagreement with.

“The Groucho Club has been in existence for almost 40 years, and it is the first time that it finds itself under review.

“It is chastened to be here, it fully understands the seriousness of the situation and the circumstances that brought us here, and obviously it is concerned for the victim of this alleged offence.”

He thanked the Met and city council for working to protect the public and added: “We apologise that there had been laxity, and we agreed that it would be appropriate there would be a closure.”

In the previous hearing, the club pledged to enhance its practices and seek to understand what happened and “what went wrong”, he said.

The committee heard that 123 interested parties made submissions regarding the future of the 300-capacity London institution, which has a 200-person-limit after midnight.

The Groucho Club is one of the capital’s most well-known private members’ clubs and has a long association with A-list celebrities.

It was originally set up as a more relaxed alternative to traditional gentlemen’s clubs, and current members “should have a creative role within the creative industries and share the club’s maverick spirit”, according to the venue’s website.

 

A spokesperson for the Groucho Club said: “We have been working closely with the police and Westminster City Council over the past few weeks and we are pleased that the temporary suspension of our licence has been lifted.

 

“We are grateful to our members and staff for their continued patience and support and to the Metropolitan Police and Westminster City Council for their collaboration. We look forward to welcoming members and guests back to the Groucho Club on January 10, when the club will reopen following our usual Christmas closure period.” 

There is no suggestion that Groucho employees were involved in the offence, the Met has said previously.