London nightlife committee launched to support capital’s night-time economy

A new committee made up of key hospitality experts has been assembled to support the capital’s night-time economy.

 

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said the independent Nightlife Taskforce will be chaired by Cameron Leslie, co-founder and director of famed Farringdon club venue Fabric.

 

Committee members will include UKHospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls, Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) chief executive Mike Kill, and Nathanael Williams, founder of east London club Colour Factory.

 

It comes just months after Amy Lamé resigned from her role as London’s night czar at the end October. Her role was created by Khan in 2016 to champion the capital’s late-night industries, but she faced criticism over her six-figure salary and whether she had any real power to help late-night bars and clubs with issues such as licensing.

 

The new taskforce will aim to examine and address the issues facing the late-night industry and provide recommendations on how to ensure the night-time economy can thrive.

 

In recent years London’s night-time industries, along with other cities in the UK, have faced a range of challenges, including rising rents and business rates, staffing shortages, and licensing and planning issues.

 

At the start of the year, the NTIA published figures showing a 32.7% decline in nightclubs across the country since 2020. London saw the smallest decline with a 19.7% decrease from March 2020 to November 2024, compared to Manchester which saw a decrease of 33.3% while Birmingham had a drop of almost 40%. 

 

Nicholls said: "I was delighted to lead the first ground-breaking report into London’s nightlife, and I’m pleased the mayor is reaffirming his commitment to the night-time economy through this new taskforce.

 

“London’s vibrant nightlife is world-renowned and, while there are undoubtedly significant challenges facing our nightlife businesses, it still has the potential to grow and build on that reputation. I look forward to working with the taskforce to develop new solutions that can support businesses in the capital to both survive and thrive."

 

Leslie said the group of experts was “excited about the future of nightlife in our wonderful city and are also acutely aware of the stark challenges we face”.

 

He said the taskforce would put forward meaningful recommendations to help London’s nightlife economy thrive.