Asked whether the council was trying to ban vertical drinking, Cllr Barnes was clear:
"No, of course not. That would be a silly thing to do. It would be completely against everything that we have publicly said we're setting out to do... There isn't, there never was, there never will be a plan to ban standing up in a pub in Westminster to have a drink."
Cllr Tim Barnes explains to The Londoner that the wording being quoted in headlines is not a new Westminster policy at all, but language carried over almost word-for-word from licensing guidelines first published back in 2021. Crucially, he confirmed it has no bearing whatsoever on venues that already hold a licence, telling the publication, "we couldn't change that if you wanted to," and stressing the council has no power to retroactively alter existing licensing terms even if it wanted to.
Writing in the Westminster Extra, Cllr Fisher said the national Labour government is cutting £100 million in funding from Westminster City Council, calling it "a direct attack on the services Westminster residents rely on every day." That comes on top of what he describes as the financial legacy left by the previous Labour administration locally, including £27 million wasted on the Geoffrey Osborne contractor failure, a £3 million overspend on a Church Street demolition contract, and a £19 million council tax freeze he called "an election gimmick that stored up pain for residents."
"Westminster is famous for its fantastic bars & clubs - and we’re consulting on how we can ensure as many people as possible enjoy our nightlife in safety ", says the Council. "Ignore nonsense headlines about us banning “vertical” drinking - we love our visitors if they are standing or sitting!”
Asked directly by BBC London's Tolu Adeoye whether the council was trying to ban people from standing up to have a drink, Cllr Barnes was unequivocal:
"Absolutely not. We are strongly in favour of people who want to come out and enjoy Soho and the rest of the West End's pubs, bars, restaurants, standing, sitting, whatever's best for them."
"We haven't been banning people from standing up in pubs over the last ten years, and we have no plan on doing it in the future" says Westminster Councillor Tim Barnes
A rough sleeping site at Grosvenor Gardens, near Victoria station, has become a focus of concern for nearby shops and businesses, who report ongoing issues with theft and drug use in the area.
Westminster considers 100pc council tax increase after funding cutsResidents face steep bill rise after Government strips borough of subsidiesWestminster City Council has warned residents could face a council tax rise of more than 100% next April, after being granted powers to impose uncapped increa
Westminster's trading standards officers have confiscated more than 30 sets of potentially lethal Christmas lights from a shop on Queensway, after tests found the lights carried a risk of electric shock and fire.
Westminster City Council Leader Cllr Paul Swaddle OBE has launched a public consultation asking Westminster residents to help decide which local services to prioritise, as Labour's Government imposes £100 million in cuts to the council's funding, forcing difficult choices about the services the coun
