The Mayor of Bristol has signalled a partial U-turn on people drinking outside pubs in the city centre after Bristol Live told how landlords feared it could badly affect their business.
Marvin Rees has announced a compromise for landlords and bar managers, who had been told by council officials they would have to stop customers sitting on outside tables and chairs after 11pm in the Old City area of Bristol city centre, because of complaints.
Landlords told Bristol Live that allowing people to carry on drinking in pavement seating after 11pm was an important part of their trade, and a petition gathered thousands of signatures calling on the council to rethink.
Read next: Outdoor seating curfew in Bristol prompts thousands to sign petition
Now, after consulting with Bristol’s late night economy adviser Carly Heath, Mr Rees said a compromise could be reached, which would see any landlord or pub manager who has a regular licence that goes beyond 11pm to midnight or beyond, able to ask the council to extend their pavement licence too.
Back in April, Bristol Live first revealed how landlords in the Old City were furious after visits from council officials warned them that the terms of their licences didn’t allow them to have people sitting outside after 11pm, and enforcement action would be taken if they didn’t clear away the people - and the tables and chairs - by that eleventh hour.
They said they’d never needed licences for having pavement seating before the pandemic, and even when it was brought in as part of a wider Government measure to encourage people to sit outside pubs as part of Covid regulations, they always thought the hours they could have pavement seating mirrored the licensing hours of the pubs themselves.
Marc Griffiths, who runs two pubs in the Old City, told Bristol Live the crackdown could cost him tens of thousands, and he started a petition calling for a re-think, which thousands of people signed.
That re-think has now happened, with the Mayor of Bristol announcing he thinks he’s found a solution. If landlords are already allowed to open their pubs beyond 11pm, they can ask the council for permission to have pavement tables after 11pm too, and each request will be assessed accordingly.
Mr Rees said it was an important issue because the Old City’s night-time economy, around King Street, Baldwin Street, St Nicks Market and Corn Street, was key for the city.
“Bristol’s night-time economy represents a third of the city's workforce and is a key priority for my administration,” he told landlords in a letter today (Thursday, May 25). “I’m proud to support amazing local businesses who have added further vibrancy to our city’s streets with an enhanced outdoor hospitality offer, it has been a really welcome addition,” he added.
Mr Rees blamed the national Government for the situation, saying that regulations brought in for Covid in 2020 and 2022 were due to run out in September, and it was ‘disappointing’ they weren’t being renewed.
“It’s disappointing that, after the pandemic, national government decided not to extend the legislation that had provided greater flexibility in this area. This has resulted in the position we now find ourselves in, with some outdoor licences returning to the previous position of 11pm.
“There are clear benefits to extending them beyond that time where it is appropriate to do so and, of course, striking a balance with local residents. My office is working with Carly Heath, the council’s Night Time Economy Advisor; officers; and traders to explore the options that are available. I’m encouraged that a positive conclusion can be found,” he added.
The Mayor said those businesses who qualify for the proposed time extensions will now be able to ask for an amendment to their licence or be given the option to apply for changes to their licensing conditions. Each premises will be considered individually based on its circumstances, the council said.
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