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NEW GOVERNMENT INSISTS UK NIGHTLIFE HAS A ‘BRIGHTER FUTURE’

Regulation to preserve UK club culture considered 'priority' 

There's seemingly good news for the UK club scene as improved regulation for clubs and bars will ensure nightlife is a 'priority' for politicians.

Between 2005 and 2015 almost half of UK clubs were forced to shut down, prompting Alan Miller, chairman of the organisation Night Time Industries Association (NTIA), to start a new scheme entitled NightLife Matters in a bid to tackle how the government treats clubs, bars and restaurants. It focuses on campaigning, supporting and protecting UK nightlife by raising awareness about the increasing threats faced by British clubbing culture.

In recent years, the UK has seen a crackdown on clubs, an increase in license reviews and venues being shut down. A recent study conducted by NTIA outlined the UK's night-time economy, which is worth £66 billion and employs 1.3m people.

Tom Kiehl, director of government and public affairs at the industry body, told Newsbeat that British venues have a 'bright future', adding, 'The night time economy is something the government will be considering very closely going forward'.

New changes are already occurring, with the UK law set to introduce the 'agent of change' principle. That will mean if a venue is faced with local residential development, the 'agent of change' principle will ensure the developer is responsible for dealing with noise rather than laying it on the club. For example, they pay for soundproofing etc. 

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan also announced that supporting UK's nightlife is one of his priorities before he was elected in May, indicating his intention to aloowed London to br a 24-hour city, which is also music to our ears (quite literally).

Words: Izzie Hargreaves