Licensing law expert welcomes appointment of London's first 'night czar'

Writer and broadcaster Amy Lamé, whose appointment was announced last week, has made one of her first priorities "stemming the tide of closures of nightclubs and music venues"; which will "hopefully be of real benefit to operators and customers alike", according to Christopher Rees-Gay of Pinsent Masons, the law firm behind Out-Law.com.

"Closures of iconic venues, such as Fabric, are having a damaging impact on the industry," he said. "It is hoped that this appointment, in conjunction with the opening of the Night Tube, will do much to ensure that London as an entertainment centre remains a world leader."

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan committed to creating the position as part of his manifesto during this year's election campaign. Global cities including Amsterdam, Berlin and San Francisco have already created similar roles, although London is the largest city to have done so to date.

Lamé campaigned to save LGBT venue the Royal Vauxhall Tavern when it was threatened with closure last year, and is well-known in London as a radio presenter and nightclub promoter. She also held the ceremonial position of 'Mayoress of Camden' between 2010 and 2011, and worked with the local authority and communities to promote the area's live music venues and nightclubs.

"The recent closure of the world-famous nightclub Fabric and the threats facing other venues across the capital show why Amy will be a much-needed ambassador for the city after dark," Khan said in a statement.

"London is now the biggest city in the world to appoint a Night Czar, and over the coming weeks I'll be going even further and extending the work of the Night Time Commission. I look forward to appointing a new Chair of the Commission to work with Amy to ensure London thrives as a 24-hour city," he said.

Lamé will be required to produce a 'roadmap' setting out plans to diversify and grow London's night time economy. She will work closely with the night time industries, local authorities, the Metropolitan Police, Transport for London and the public to "ensure London thrives as a 24-hour city", according to the announcement.

The London mayor has previously stated his commitment to making London "a 24-hour city that's open to all". The first 24-hour London Underground services began running on Fridays and Saturdays in August, and two additional lines are scheduled to be running before the end of the year.

Khan has also pledged to introduce a new 'Agent of Change' rule, which would require those building new housing developments next to existing live music venues, clubs and pubs to meet soundproofing costs.

London's Night Time Commission was set up by previous mayor Boris Johnson in March, with a six month remit to investigate what should be done to "protect and manage" London's night time economy. The Night Time Commission consists of club and venue owners, local planning and licensing authorities and representatives from Metropolitan Police. Khan intends to appoint a new chair of the group in the coming weeks.

Research by business body London First and EY, the professional services firm, showed that the so-called 'night-time economy' was already worth £26.3 billion, and is expected to rise to around £28.3bn by 2029.