27/08/2026
Newcastle councillors have voted to scrap the city's late-night levy — a fee charged since 2013 to city-centre businesses licensed to sell alcohol late at night, funding late-night policing, CCTV and taxi marshals.
Sarah Smith, Head of Licensing at Sintons, explains: introduced under the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011, the levy has been dropped by most other UK cities over the years, leaving Newcastle as one of only a few still charging it.
Sarah says: "The upside of not paying the late-night levy is that operators will save costs. But I think the bigger gain is that they'll feel their concerns about fairness and rising costs have been heard by the Council. The funding will need to come from elsewhere, but I don't anticipate a negative impact from its removal."
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