London's night time economy

How do you use the city from 6 pm to 6 am? What do you like about London's night time economy and what can be improved?

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The Mayor has launched his vision for London’s night time economy. It focuses on:

  • promoting an economy which works for all ages and interests
  • opportunities in all of London’s boroughs
  • safety for residents, visitors and night-time workers

Read more about the vision.

To work towards the vision, the Mayor has also appointed a Night Time Commission. It includes businesses, cultural organisations, local authorities and other agencies. The Commission’s job is to advise the Mayor on what needs to be done to improve London’s night time offer while protecting residents, visitors and workers.

The Commission wants to hear from Londoners before making any recommendations.

What do you think of London’s night time economy? How do you use the city at night? What are the best things about London at night? What can be improved?

Let us know below.

The discussion ran from 01 December 2017 - 01 March 2018

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Comments (126)

Avatar for - Tiger
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Keep expanding the late night tube/bus services, decrease fast food outlets open past midnight and associated plastic packaging, make drunks pay for their drunk tanks or A&E treatment, improve lighting in crime areas

Avatar for - Sumatran elephant
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Muswell House Nick is absolutely right about both points he raised; the street performers in front of the Tate are an insult to the dignified & historical setting in which they perform. They should be removed.
Rickshaws are a complete rip...

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Muswell House Nick is absolutely right about both points he raised; the street performers in front of the Tate are an insult to the dignified & historical setting in which they perform. They should be removed.
Rickshaws are a complete rip-off & the way that some of them drive endangers the public as well as their passengers. They too should be banned immediately.

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I think that the Mayor should launch a app for all smartphones which would tell city dwellers on how to keep safe when they are out during the night time be it on a date or out clubbing either on your own or with people. It would also tell...

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I think that the Mayor should launch a app for all smartphones which would tell city dwellers on how to keep safe when they are out during the night time be it on a date or out clubbing either on your own or with people. It would also tell you on how to handle yourself in certain situations eg a terror attack and would alert you to terror attacks. I myself, would welcome such a initiative because I am frequently out at night either with friends or on my own and there have been more then a few occasions when I have felt unsafe. The app would come in several languages in order to recognise the diverse culture that London has.

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There was a levy placed on bars to assist with Policing and Security in areas.
I have not noticed any increase in policing, in fact I see less police than I used to and whilst I work in the Night TIme Economy the CCTV operators were...

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There was a levy placed on bars to assist with Policing and Security in areas.
I have not noticed any increase in policing, in fact I see less police than I used to and whilst I work in the Night TIme Economy the CCTV operators were fantastic and alert in the 1st week, but have again become non-existent.
The night time Levy is a waste of time, a tax on businesses that have to re-coup that cost by charging more

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I lived in New York for a period of time, and a 24hr culture works, but imposes additional burdens on police, and other services. London needs to see the whole picture, not just a small part of it and as usual in the UK, the whole picture...

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I lived in New York for a period of time, and a 24hr culture works, but imposes additional burdens on police, and other services. London needs to see the whole picture, not just a small part of it and as usual in the UK, the whole picture has not yet been properly considered.

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Seems like maybe decision-makers are enamoured with the Big Apple. Reminds me of Blair falling in love with the USA...

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Food delivery vehicles like mopeds and cars need to be covered by "Business Insurance" or the drivers risk not being covered in the event of an accident, thier fault or not. Most of these drivers are only covered for social, domestic and...

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Food delivery vehicles like mopeds and cars need to be covered by "Business Insurance" or the drivers risk not being covered in the event of an accident, thier fault or not. Most of these drivers are only covered for social, domestic and pleasure, therefore uninsured if operating a vehicle for hire or reward. Those of us with commercial insurance pay high rates, partly due to the mass of drivers who are not insured or incorrectly insured, ie: food delivery drivers and it is a growing problem that needs to be properly addressed.

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Yes, please can we have some regulation and enforcement of regulation of these delivery drivers, especially Deliveroo. The rules of the road are being systematically flouted in order to make a profit: the pavements are being used as bike...

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Yes, please can we have some regulation and enforcement of regulation of these delivery drivers, especially Deliveroo. The rules of the road are being systematically flouted in order to make a profit: the pavements are being used as bike lanes, drivers are cycling through red lights in order to deliver faster, they don't always wear the correct gear, and I even saw one cycling with a phone in his hand.

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Also, benches and cycle racks and motorcycle bays are installed for the benefit of the PUBLIC. It's not fair for them to be taken over by delivery drivers waiting for work.

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Can nightlife be extended beyond activities involving alcohol (and rubbish food)? Cafes that play good music, serve delicious non-alcoholic drinks (and maybe some alcoholic ones as well), maybe have interesting focal points such as poetry...

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Can nightlife be extended beyond activities involving alcohol (and rubbish food)? Cafes that play good music, serve delicious non-alcoholic drinks (and maybe some alcoholic ones as well), maybe have interesting focal points such as poetry slams, philosophical discussions, Connect 4 tournaments.....? London nightlife often seems so unimaginative, revolving around buying and consuming alcohol. This seems to lead to increased anti-social behaviour, crime and pressure on emergency services.

Not sure there's any value in having a 24/7 London but I'm all for increasing the range of entertainment on offer and, as someone else says, creating a more bohemian vibe.

I occasionally come home in the wee hours (after a party, say) and am grateful for the buses. Not sure I'd want to take the night tube.

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There used to be good chess cafes, though not in the centre of London. One was at South End Green, by Hampstead. Another somewhere in north London. Intellectual stuff does happen in the centre of London, meetings, gatherings, cafes, but...

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There used to be good chess cafes, though not in the centre of London. One was at South End Green, by Hampstead. Another somewhere in north London. Intellectual stuff does happen in the centre of London, meetings, gatherings, cafes, but sometimes you have to pay too much to get in. London, and those who really run it, seem to have limited vision and imagination.

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I came to London 40 years ago having grown up in New York and have seen a steady improvement in London's night life - and ability to get home afterwards! It always amazed me that the whole nation 'shut down' at the pub's closing time of...

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I came to London 40 years ago having grown up in New York and have seen a steady improvement in London's night life - and ability to get home afterwards! It always amazed me that the whole nation 'shut down' at the pub's closing time of 11pm, when the roads were suddenly filled with inebriated drivers.

The selection of venues open late is wonderful and the night buses and now tubes make getting home so much easier.

Long may the trend continue!

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With respect, I disagree. I don't want to see London going the same way as New York City. I think there is a value to a more quaint, conservative way of life.

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That's fine if no-one actually lives in the areas that are 'vibrant' for 24/7. I think an entertainments area should be constructed somewhere, with super-fast transport, for everyone to head to for their 24-hour boozing etc. It could have...

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That's fine if no-one actually lives in the areas that are 'vibrant' for 24/7. I think an entertainments area should be constructed somewhere, with super-fast transport, for everyone to head to for their 24-hour boozing etc. It could have sleeping pods, drunk tanks, 24-hour eateries, plenty of free public toilets, and so-on. Leaving inhabited areas quiet at night, so people who have to get up each morning for work/school/nursery can get 8 hours good quality sleep each night. As is needed to ward off heart disease, alzheimer's etc etc.

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As a person who lives in London, I would hate to see it turned into a 24-hour place. If anybody has read Wordsworth's poem 'On Westminster Bridge' can see, a sleeping city is something delightful to experience.
People need sleep to...

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As a person who lives in London, I would hate to see it turned into a 24-hour place. If anybody has read Wordsworth's poem 'On Westminster Bridge' can see, a sleeping city is something delightful to experience.
People need sleep to function properly and the more available places to drink at all hours the more noise and nuisance will ensue.
I hope there are plans to increase the police presence as they will be needed.
Gloria May

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When I was a student the boys used to talk of going to Covent Gardens. The Pubs were open and it was interesting. make the Covent Garden be alive a night for those who want it. Public Houses fill a social need. I know I have lived in a pub...

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When I was a student the boys used to talk of going to Covent Gardens. The Pubs were open and it was interesting. make the Covent Garden be alive a night for those who want it. Public Houses fill a social need. I know I have lived in a pub in Dorset and London. It has a set of clients. It was illegal to sell drink to any one "who had had enough". Otherwise the Publican lost their licence. They are havens for the lonely. In one pub, one seat was communally reserved for Tom: no one dreamt of taking it- it was his place. I still do not understand why the Monopolies commission made Breweries sell 90% of their pubs. were the property Baron on it? There was a good system in place - why kill it? it was a place for neighbours to meet on commo9n ground. To celebrate National events. I suggest that the clock is turned back. Yes excessive alcohol is bad - but so is loneliness.

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Thanks everybody for sharing your views.

Which parts of London do you find yourself most in between 6 pm and 6 am? What is it about these places that you enjoy? What makes you feel more or less safe? How do you decide whether to go out locally or in other parts of London?

Thinking about your local area, what would make you spend more time going out locally? Is there a mix of things to do? Can you get around easily on transport?

Talk London

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I stay at home after dark, and late evenings. I do need to go out late at night sometimes, but do not do so becuase it does not feel safe. Our local police station has said they do not have enough officers to do a turn around the local side...

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I stay at home after dark, and late evenings. I do need to go out late at night sometimes, but do not do so becuase it does not feel safe. Our local police station has said they do not have enough officers to do a turn around the local side streets at night. More and more often there are aggressive arguments going on outside the flats here, drunk people in the streets, people urinating all around the side streets. No-one is around to keep an eye or stop the anti-social behaviour. The community police go off duty very early evening, so no help there. And this is the centre of London. If the Mayor won't fund the police adequately now, how much worse will it be with the full 24-hour city? And once the Crossrail lines are open, thousands more people coming into the centre to get drunk. Already residents lives are curtailed, they are woken up at all hours by drunks and deliveries. A 15-hour city is enough - opening boozeries all through the night is not going to resolve the shortage of funding for street management.

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Being past retirement age but still working part time locally I'm usually home. I'm well beyond the stage of wanting to down several expensive pints every night in a bar where you cant hold a conversation because everyone else is shouting...

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Being past retirement age but still working part time locally I'm usually home. I'm well beyond the stage of wanting to down several expensive pints every night in a bar where you cant hold a conversation because everyone else is shouting to be heard. Eating out is no joy either because the drinks usually come to more than the food and it gets expensive. I have a small circle of friends so my partner and I socialise with them at least once a week in the evening. Other early evening activities might include playing badminton, shopping or pottering around the garden when light and not too cold. There are other evening activities that could be taken up I suppose but its getting the motivation going.

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We need a cleaner London. The litter in this country, but particularly in the big cities, is awful and just embarrassing. It does not make me proud at all. Many other cities around the world are much cleaner.
Better and more efficient...

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We need a cleaner London. The litter in this country, but particularly in the big cities, is awful and just embarrassing. It does not make me proud at all. Many other cities around the world are much cleaner.
Better and more efficient public transport - and cheaper!
Better policing - all of the cuts are really having an adverse affect.

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TOTALLY AGREE LITTER IS DREADFUL - PLEASE SORT OUT ASAP!!! COUNCILS, MAYOR, GOVERNMENT: THIS IS URGENT!!!

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Why do we need to stress a night time economy? Can't people just go to bed and relax? It's hard enough getting people to part with their cash in daylight so trying it at night is just diluting the daytime economy.

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Why do we need to stress a night time economy? Can't people just go to bed and relax? It's hard enough getting people to part with their cash in daylight so trying it at night is just diluting the daytime economy.

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I presume businesses find that people are more inclined to splash the cash when they have had a few too many to drink!

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I presume businesses find that people are more inclined to splash the cash when they have had a few too many to drink!

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I’ve heard that now the Overground/Tube lines are running at night there are plans to reduce buse services, particularly relevant to me is the 53 bus route. The night buses are excellent and don’t annoy people living nearby tracks/stations.

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I’ve heard that now the Overground/Tube lines are running at night there are plans to reduce buse services, particularly relevant to me is the 53 bus route. The night buses are excellent and don’t annoy people living nearby tracks/stations.

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The night buses certainly do wake up residents on or near their routes. ALSO with them going silent (dual-fuel or all electric or lpt), they will be fitted with a warning noise to reduce collisions with pedestrians, cyclists, and so-on....

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The night buses certainly do wake up residents on or near their routes. ALSO with them going silent (dual-fuel or all electric or lpt), they will be fitted with a warning noise to reduce collisions with pedestrians, cyclists, and so-on. Metroline have for months and months been testing a warning noise on two buses. Just two buses. The noise is supposed to be directional, so it is directed forwards more than to the sides. But of course this does not work in London's streets, narrowish and with tallish buildings. The horrendously loud piercing two-tone beeping noise bounces off buildings, amplifies as it goes,penetrates into residents' homes. This is from about 7.15am until 2.30pm a night. So it is on the night buses.

Anyone on a busy bus route - your life is about to become a nightmare. Transport for London should not allow this continuous beeping warning noise to be used. They should use a fake engine noise warning sound instead.

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I presume the beeping noise on the buses will be the same as the one on the trains: South West Trains have had some trains that make a beeping noise for about ten years now. (No, they don't run all night.)

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Recently a friend told me about a young lady who is the only member of staff at a London tube station all night. This is not safe for her or for passengers. If we are going to have night tubes we need adequate staffing. Most people I know...

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Recently a friend told me about a young lady who is the only member of staff at a London tube station all night. This is not safe for her or for passengers. If we are going to have night tubes we need adequate staffing. Most people I know including myself would be scared to travel on the tube at night anyway.

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I believe it would be great to have a 24 hour culture in London in terms of transport and entertainment/activities. We have lacked of this for too many years now.

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I believe it would be great to have a 24 hour culture in London in terms of transport and entertainment/activities. We have lacked of this for too many years now.

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Fine, but how would you like it in your home street, under your windows? Entertainment hubs should be built, away from where people live, with purpose built fast transport to them.

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this requires significant funding in public sector services where no funding exists or is available, at what point do we accept that services are overstretched and barely coping, unless the mayor is able to increase budgets for Police...

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this requires significant funding in public sector services where no funding exists or is available, at what point do we accept that services are overstretched and barely coping, unless the mayor is able to increase budgets for Police, hospitals, fire service, noise nuisance teams its a plan to degrade London

nearly all councils now only offer noise nuisance services Mon-Fri during office hours when the problems don't really exist leaving residents to have to put up with it as its outside the police remit due to the service being passed to councils and councils being giving additional funding to provide the services which they have in turn cut back to next to nothing

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Totally agree. I am lucky enough to live in Westminster, where the noise teams operate 24/7, even on Christmas Day. The noise teams are great, but this service is overstretched due to cuts, so it gets harder for them to deal effectively...

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Totally agree. I am lucky enough to live in Westminster, where the noise teams operate 24/7, even on Christmas Day. The noise teams are great, but this service is overstretched due to cuts, so it gets harder for them to deal effectively with the constant noise problems, eg of pedicanbs, buskers, and all the other sources.

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Too much alcohol and too little respect for residents in ‘hotspots,

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I am very concerned about acid attacks and knife crime/stabbings in London. Much more positive and visible policing is required together with any other measures. The Mayor needs to get a grip of this if he wants people to feel safe in...

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I am very concerned about acid attacks and knife crime/stabbings in London. Much more positive and visible policing is required together with any other measures. The Mayor needs to get a grip of this if he wants people to feel safe in London.

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So why is he cutting police, not increasing them?

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I agree with most of the community members who have posted their views on this topic.
London has become "party capital" for UK citizens and many visitors. The consequences of this in central London include shouting and screaming at all...

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I agree with most of the community members who have posted their views on this topic.
London has become "party capital" for UK citizens and many visitors. The consequences of this in central London include shouting and screaming at all hours of the night, police sirens all night, the stink of urine on buildings, splashes of vomit on the pavement (we only recently got rid of dog ****), discarded take-away food and packaging all over the street, bottles left on benches, pavements and window-sills, and more. Who benefits? Pubs, bars, discos and investors in commercial property. Who pays? Working Londoners.
I agree that we need all-night transport for TfL for night workers, but party-goers should pay double or triple after 2 am.
Pubs, bars and discos should be closed at midnight. Take-away food places should be closed at 2 am.
People who urinate in, vomit on or trash the streets should not be required to pay a fine, they should do community service and be made to clean it up. Why should local residents have to clean it up?

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There are usually by-laws on urinating in a public place. I think people get fined for it in Westminster. It is a matter of having enough police or City Inspectors or whatever out there patrolling, and tackling it. Westminster council would...

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There are usually by-laws on urinating in a public place. I think people get fined for it in Westminster. It is a matter of having enough police or City Inspectors or whatever out there patrolling, and tackling it. Westminster council would not want to put up council tax to pay for this, and the GLA will not fund extra policing either. It is left up to individuals and residents' associations to put pressure on local councils and on the GLA, and to put pressure to get more funds out of the alcohol and other business sectors that are profiting from late night drinking and etc. Unless a lot more residents start lobbying, supporting their local residents' association, writing to their MPs and GLA members, writing to the media - we will get nowhere with getting improvements.

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I doubt anyone who voted for our Labour Mayor expected him to cut police funding. That's the sort of thing I would expect from the Conservatives, not Labour. I wonder how he justifies this when he is imposing a considerable increase in...

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I doubt anyone who voted for our Labour Mayor expected him to cut police funding. That's the sort of thing I would expect from the Conservatives, not Labour. I wonder how he justifies this when he is imposing a considerable increase in his share of the council tax at the same time.

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Thanks everyone for sharing your experience and suggestions for far.

Please keep your contributions to the Night Time Commission Consultation coming https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/arts-and-culture/mayors-cultural-v…. We'd love to hear what more Londoners think of London between 6pm and 6am, the Night Time Commission's definition of night.

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