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London Appoints First Night Czar To Protect City’s Nightlife

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Amy Lame

In light of recent events, London Mayor Sadiq Khan has been on a quest to appoint the city’s first Night Czar with the aim of nurturing and protecting nightlife within the British capital.

Over the weekend comedian, writer, broadcaster and DJ Amy LamĂ© was revealed as London’s first Night Czar, tasked with the uphill battle of turning around the city’s night-time economy — an agenda item often championed by Mayor Khan when he was running for office.

Discussing her new appointment, LamĂ© stated: “It’s a privilege to be London’s very first Night Czar. I can’t wait to hit the streets and have loads of ideas of what I can do for revellers, night-time workers, businesses and stakeholders.

“For too long, the capital’s night-time industry has been under pressure — music venues and nightclubs in particular are closing at an alarming rate. With the advent of the Night Tube, and the Mayor’s commitment to protect iconic venues across the city, I’m confident that I can inspire a positive change in the way people think about the night-time economy.”

The aim is for LamĂ© to legitimize London’s nightlife like never before, mediating between clubs and local officials, lobbying on behalf of prospective venues seeking 24-hour licenses, protecting venues where needed, remove the stigmas associated with nightlife and instead work on eliminating the real sources of the problems the industry faces and more. Issues the likes of those that led to fabric’s closure will hopefully be worked on to ensure the downtrend of the city’s nightlife is reverted for good.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan Responded to the #savefabric Petition

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Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London

Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London

Sadiq Khan, London’s recently appointed Mayor, has responded to the petition to save fabric following the club’s recent temporary license suspension.

Released on change.org today, the statement comes on the heels of his August 17th tweet, in which Khan pressed on the Met Police and Islington Council “to find an approach that protects clubbers’ safety and the future of the club.”

Following the over 90,000 signatures on the petition, Khan’s latest statement is far lengthier but once again stresses his commitment to appoint a Night Czar for the city all the while pressing officials involved to save fabric’s present situation by finding a “common sense solution.”

The full statement reads:

Thank you for writing to me about the future of Fabric and London’s night time economy.

London’s iconic clubs are an essential part of our cultural landscape. As Mayor, I’m determined to do more to protect them, as well as our theatres, live music venues, artists workspaces, historic buildings and pubs. It is so important that people are able to enjoy a fun and safe night out in the capital.

As part of our wider plan to support the night time economy, I will appoint a Night Czar to lead this work by bringing together key stakeholders including club and venue owners, planning and licensing authorities, the Metropolitan Police and members of the public. No single organisation or public body can solve these problems alone – we all need to work together to ensure London thrives as a 24-hour city, in a way that is safe and enjoyable for everyone.

I am committed to using the influence of my office to overcome the numerous challenges facing the night time economy. However, it is important to note that City Hall does not have the power to intervene in licensing cases like the current situation with Fabric.

Clubbing needs to be safe. There have been two tragic deaths at Fabric over recent months and there are clearly issues that need addressing.

http://www.islingtongazette.co.uk/news/fabric_drug_deaths_damning_dossier_reveals_scale_of_substance_abuse_inside_farringdon_superclub_1_4674138

Fabric, the Metropolitan Police and Islington will of course have to take real action to protect the safety of everyone who enjoys a night out at the club.

My team have spoken to all involved in the current situation and I am urging them to find a common sense solution that ensures the club remains open while protecting the safety of those who want to enjoy London’s clubbing scene.

I welcome your call for us all to work together – City Hall, London’s music venues, local authorities, the police and others – to make our clubs safer while also protecting our night time economy.

Best wishes,

Sadiq Khan
Mayor of London

Sign the petition here.