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Newly formed Night Time Industries Association puts out call to its industry and local authorities across the UK
By Chris Cooke | Published on Monday 8 June 2015
Alan D Miller, Chairman of the recently formed Night Time Industries Association – which brings together bar operators, gig venue owners and especially club promoters and DJ representatives – used a keynote at the Brighton Music Conference this weekend to caution against new regulations and regulatory practices that could hinder the future of what is otherwise a booming sector – ie night time entertainment.
Miller, who experienced his own issues with a local authority as owner of the Vibe Bar in East London, said: “We have seen that, despite fears ten years ago that 24 hour licensing would lead to crime and disorder, a new report from the Institute Of Economic Affairs demonstrates that crime has decreased and late night licensing has spread the offering available and contributed to a better environment for leisure, entertainment and our cities. This is a time to celebrate – not to regulate”.
But noting the various issues some club promoters have faced in the last year – which might include both Fabric in London and The Arches in Glasgow, in addition to Miller’s own bad experiences – he went on: “If people in Britain want to go out and enjoy themselves after 10pm, there are increasing obstacles”.
He explained: “The latest is the wholly misguided concept of breathalysing citizens outside clubs, football stadiums and even McDonalds in Cambridge. We at The NTIA believe British citizens are decent and on the whole well behaved – as the evidence proves – and visitors to the UK are too. It’s time to champion the night time industries and to stop these wrong practices”.
Miller says that the NTIA hopes “that licensing authorities take on board the recent good news [about a booming night time sector] – and indeed the massive contribution that the UK operators, owners, promoters, DJs and other entrepreneurs and workers make to local economies and indeed the UK’s GDP”.
Meanwhile, addressing his own industry direct, he added: “We need our fellow owners and operators to sign up with us so that we can be an even stronger voice in the UK. We are the cauldron and conduit of creativity – and we must protect the dancefloor”.
