Westminster Council, now Conservative-led, is proposing new rules for London’s Soho to limit standing while drinking. The local authority has put forward a consultation on measures to curb what it calls 'vertical drinking,' which includes forcing bars to offer a minimum number of seats or switching to waiter-only service. London Mayor Sadiq Khan has criticized the plan, calling it harmful to the city’s nightlife.
The proposed policy aims to reduce overcrowding and noise in the West End, a key hub for entertainment. The consultation argues that fewer people standing tends to lead to calmer environments. It also mentions concerns over restaurants acting like bars, where standing is common. The council could use its powers to prevent new bars from opening in the area. The draft policy says: 'The council will normally refuse any application made in respect of a premises located in the West End Cumulative Impact Zone that is a pub or bar, a fast food premises or a venue offering music, dancing and similar entertainment.'
Khan’s spokesperson called the proposal 'restrictive and anti-growth,' warning it risks damaging London’s hospitality sector. They emphasized that the mayor’s new government powers would let him challenge local licensing decisions. This would help protect the capital’s nightlife and hospitality industries, which are central to London’s economy and culture. A spokesperson for Khan 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.'
Khan’s expanded role will include reviewing major licensing decisions and advising on local policies. This gives the mayor a stronger voice when councils like Westminster update their rules. The move is seen as a direct response to the council’s proposed changes. The mayor is to get powers via secondary legislation expected to be passed in Westminster later this year, which will allow him to 'call in' decisions made by local councils.
Tory officials, including Tim Barnes from the growth and planning department, denied claims the policy bans standing in pubs. Barnes dismissed the original report as a 'ludicrous' misinterpretation. He said the council wants venues to manage crowds better and keep the West End enjoyable without disturbing the public. Barnes added: '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.'
Critics argue the council is overreaching. Lucy Rogers from the Looking For Growth campaign accused it of attacking British pub culture and banning 'fun.' She demanded that adults be allowed to stand in bars, stating such rules infringe on personal freedom and harm the hospitality industry. Top licensing lawyer Philip Kolvin KC said: 'Vertical drinking is also social drinking, allowing people to mix and socialise as they wish, rather than being confined to their predetermined groups. So this is asking the traditional pub not to behave as a traditional pub and to ask people to stay with the group they came with. One could characterise this as being contrary to the ethos of pubs as places which promote community cohesion.'
Upcoming legislation will give Khan the power to set a citywide licensing policy. He will also be involved when councils like Westminster revise their rules. This is expected to shift the standing-drinking debate toward approved policies. It remains to be seen if the council’s proposal survives Khan’s influence and public opinion. Entrepreneur Sacha Lord, who was Andy Burnham’s Greater Manchester night-time adviser, said: 'Westminster council are the most anti-hospitality council in the UK. Their draft licensing policy is out today and is recommending banning standing in pubs, and they don't want people ordering at the bar. It’s like dragging us back to Covid times.'
The consultation will be key in shaping final rules. Whether the changes go ahead or are adjusted, the issue has already sparked a big debate about London’s nightlife and how regulations affect traditions. The outcome will depend on public feedback and the influence of local and mayoral authorities. Michael Kill, the chief executive of the Night Time Industries Association, said: 'Standing in pubs has always been part of Britain’s pub culture. It’s how people meet friends, watch live sport, wait to be served and enjoy the unique atmosphere that pubs have provided for generations. Encouraging policies that favour more seating and reduced standing space risks changing the very character of these venues while reducing capacity, increasing operating costs and limiting flexibility for responsible businesses already under significant financial pressure.'
The row over standing while drinking reflects wider tensions about managing public spaces and social life in cities. Westminster Council’s proposals are still under discussion, with officials, campaigners, and the mayor all shaping the future of Soho’s night scene. The Soho Society, a group established in 1972 aimed at 'preserving the character of Soho,' voted in its AGM earlier this summer for a new licensing mandate, meaning it will challenge all new applications for bars and restaurants in the area, including reviews of existing licences. It will also object to any venue that wishes to open beyond 'core hours,' which Westminster council decrees end between 10.30pm and midnight, depending on the business and day of the week.
Downing Street has waded into the debate over so-called 'vertical drinking' and called on Westminster City Council to 'work with' the industry to maintain the culture of pints outside London pubs. 'Busy pubs full of people talking to each other is not a public nuisance, it is British life and it is thousands of jobs,' Andy Burnham’s team has said. A public row has erupted over draft guidance from Westminster Council which encouraged major restrictions on standing in favour of outside seating at West End boozers.
Council consultation chaos: These rules are out for consultation, in an effort to 'discourage excessive drunkenness' and 'encourage provision of more seating in premises that serve alcohol for people to sit and enjoy a drink and order food by table service in place of open bar space that caters for high volume vertical drinking'.
Sadiq Khan got stuck into the debate with a post on X: 'You can’t run a world-famous nightlife district with a village-hall mindset.' The Conservative-led local authority has since said 'there is no plan' to stop 'vertical drinking', and the leader of the council Paul Swaddle has accused the press of writing 'confusing stories' that give this impression. In a signal of a deepening row between Tories in Westminster Council and Labour-run City Hall, Swaddle added: 'We don’t need lectures from City Hall on backing hospitality when they have directed the police to object to every new licence application as their solution to curbing crime in the West End.'
Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) said efforts to put further restrictions on pub landlords are a 'total misstep', at 'a time when two pubs are closing each day and publicans are only making 12p profit per pint'.
This follows a number of social media efforts by the new Prime Minister to present himself as an ally of the embattled pubs sector. A few days after taking power in July, Burnham appeared in a social media video alongside the new Chancellor John Healey to hail the newly-announced cut to hospitality business rates. The PM has aimed to reassure pubs with the insistence that 'the cavalry is coming' to help out the industry.
Though these efforts to help out struggling pubs have been highly publicised, City AM has reported that the savings will be 'dwarfed by other costs' of doing business. Pubs have been laden with major hikes to employment costs and business rates since Labour came to power in 2024.