A landlord has hit out at plans to force pubs, bars and nightclubs selling booze after midnight to pay a late-night levy.

Cheshire East Council is considering imposing the charge on licensees to counter the extra cost to its services caused by early morning drinking.

The levy could see some annual licensing fees quadruple up to £4,440.

James Russell, 38, landlord of The Kings Arms on Alderley Road, said: “This is just another stealth tax to hit small businesses.

“The whole thing is another bureaucratic exercise in futility. I already pay huge rates, why should I pay more for a service that is very rarely needed?

“I’m against this charge for late night opening because it’s not the local pubs that cause the problems late at night, it’s the bars in the town centre and the food outlets where people congregate.”

Owners of Wilmslow’s 49 licensed premises currently pay between £70 and £1,050 per year, based on the rateable value of the premises.

A levy for those open after midnight would take this to between £299 and
£4,440. The levy is designed to compensate for the extra cost to council services caused by late night venues, with 70 percent of the revenue raised going to Cheshire Police.

The topic was debated at a licensing committee meeting, where officers warned that premises could close because of the extra cost.

Officers also warned of the impact on the night-time economy, including taxi drivers and food outlets.

Other options being considered include Early Morning Restriction Orders (EMRO), restricting the sale of alcohol in a particular area for a specified period, and Designated Public Place Orders, or no-drinking areas.
Michael Jones, council leader, said: “The issue is with certain areas and certain streets. We don’t want to be heavy- handed.

“In some places venues opening until 2am isn’t a problem.

“All we want to do is make our streets safer for longer.”