Lowri Griffiths on the council’s new draft licensing policy and what it might mean for anyone whose social life runs on standing at the bar

Westminster council has apparently recommended not allowing “vertical drinking” or ordering directly at the bar in its new draft licensing policy, and being someone whose entire social life for the past several years has consisted exclusively of standing at bars because I can’t afford table service anywhere, I needed to know immediately whether this affects me financially.

Why This Policy Actually Concerned Me So Immediately And Specifically

Because standing at a bar, drink in hand, chatting to whoever’s next to you, is basically the free-est version of a night out available to broke Londoners like myself, and any policy nudging venues toward seated, table-service drinking sounds suspiciously like a policy nudging me toward spending money I do not have.

What I Actually Discovered Digging Into The Details Of This Draft Policy

The council itself has apparently pushed back on how this has been reported, denying the characterisation entirely, which means my initial financial panic may have been slightly premature, though I remain vigilant given how these things tend to quietly firm up over time regardless of early denials.

How Table Service Culture Would Actually Affect My Specific Broke Budget If This Ever Genuinely Happened

Considerably, is the honest answer. Table service implies minimum spends, implies bookings, implies the entire vibe of a spontaneous, cheap Tuesday night suddenly requiring actual advance planning and actual advance money.

Whether I’m Actually Worried About This Long-Term Given The Council’s Denial

Cautiously, yes, mostly because I’ve learned that “the council denies it” is not always the same thing as “this definitely isn’t happening eventually in some quietly modified form.”

What This Whole Situation Reveals About How Precariously Broke London Nightlife Actually Hangs On Small Policy Details Nobody Really Notices Until It’s Too Late

Mostly that the cheap, standing-at-the-bar version of a night out is doing more heavy lifting for skint Londoners than anyone in charge of licensing policy seems to fully appreciate. More broke London nightlife coverage stays right here on bohiney.com.

SOURCE: https://bohiney.com