A debate is brewing in Islington after a pub manager came out against the introduction of a late night booze tax.
Paul Henealy (pictured), assistant bar manager at The Blacksmith and The Toffeemaker pub on St. John Street said the pub might decide to close before midnight on days that appear to be fairly quiet.
Mr Henealy said: “The tax means that if we stay open we won’t really earn much extra money.”
Punters can currently stay at the pub past midnight on Friday and Saturday nights but might not have the option for much longer.
Heanealy also complained about a lack of information from the council.
Islington Council voted to adopt the late night levy before other London boroughs and will be implemented by the middle of the year.
It says the tax is being introduced to tackle crime and nuisance related to the borough’s busy nightlife. There were 519 alcohol-related offences in the borough between midnight and 6am in 2013.
Cllr Paul Convery, Islington Council’s executive member for community safety, said:
“Crime, regulation and the clean-up leave the council and police with a large bill. The levy will help to pay for extra resources after midnight, when there is extra strain on resources.
“It’s fair for late-night premises to pay their share.”
Sam Calder and Edward Quigg, the managers at The Ark, on Torrens St, are more apathetic.
Mr Calder said: “We’d prefer the tax not to go up but it’s not going to affect us.”
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