Nottingham council considering scrapping tax on late-night businesses

Nottingham City Council is considering scrapping the late-night levy on businesses serving alcohol after midnight.

The council’s licencing committee met this week to discuss removing the annual payment, which ranges between £299 and £4,400 depending on a site’s rateable value.

The levy was introduced in 2014 with the purpose of offsetting the cost of policing the night-time economy.

A formal consultation on the tax was held earlier this year and received responses from businesses, the police, and the areas' police and crime commissioner.

A final decision on the future of the scheme will be made at a full council meeting next month.

A spokesperson for Nottingham City Council said: “The late-night levy scheme has not been reviewed since it was first established in 2014 so it was considered timely to see if it was still fit for purpose.

“The [licensing] committee recognised that it would be a loss of a relatively small amount of income to the police, which should not significantly affect their ability to police the night-time economy. The committee noted that most businesses paying the levy are outside the city centre and don’t contribute to the problems in the night-time economy in that location.

“The [business improvement district] will continue with their work on community safety in the city centre. On balance, the committee recognised that it was appropriate to review the levy and ease the burden on businesses which are still experiencing a challenging trading environment.”

The levy had raised £133,851 between 1 November 2020 and 31 October 2021, with 144 premises in the city liable.