Late Night Levy Proposal - June 2023

Have your say on a Late Night Levy

Bolton has a vibrant night‐time economy across all the districts, attracting people from all the local area and beyond. We’re committed to supporting this and working with businesses to ensure that Bolton is a great place to go out.

However, we all know, the late-night economy can also bring crime, antisocial behaviour, litter and people needing support. The council and police currently fund officers who deal with many of these issues.  

To help support this activity, we’re proposing that a late-night levy is introduced, to raise money from those businesses licensed to sell or supply alcohol between 3am and 6am. We think this is the fairest way to fund officers from both Greater Manchester Police and Bolton Council, operating in the night time economy. The levy would be a small charge, set by Government, on those businesses licensed to sell alcohol after 3am.

We’re considering if there should be reductions for some small businesses, and there is an opportunity for some businesses to alter their hours of operation, free of charge, to avoid paying the levy.

We want to make sure we’ve got the details right, and if it’s taken forward, ensure it works for local people and businesses, so your assistance with this consultation is important.

For further information about the proposed Late Night Levy please refer to our Frequently Asked Questions.

The consultation report, considered by the Licensing Act Committee on the 4th April, is available to view on the Council website at Meetings and Events.

This consultation has now closed.

Findings