Alarming new report: London has lost almost 60% of LGBT+ venues since 2006
An alarming new report shows London’s LGBT+ venues in crisis, with a 58 per cent loss of spaces in the past decade, the Mayor’s office informs.
Both the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and Amy Lamé, the Mayor’s Night Czar, spoke out after the report, published by UCL Urban Laboratory, painted a stark picture for LGBT+ venues in London.
In 2006, there were 125 venues in operation, while in 2017 there are just 53 – a fall of 58 per cent. The breakdown of where LGBT+ venues have been lost across the city is illustrated in an interactive map also released today.
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One of the hardest-hit boroughs is Islington, which has lost 80 per cent of its LGBT+ venues since 2006. During the same period, Lambeth lost 47 per cent of its LGBT+ venues, with Camden and Westminster both losing 43 per cent.
Despite LGBT+ venues often being thriving and successful businesses, today’s study shows that they are closing because of external pressures such as large-scale developments, a lack of safeguarding measures in the existing planning system and the sale and change of use of the property by landlords.
Other major drivers of closure include rising business rates and rents, as well as a change of ownership, which can sometimes lead to venues becoming targeted at non-LGBT+ clientele.
London has suffered several high-profile LGBT+ venue losses over recent years, including The Black Cap in Camden, The Joiner’s Arms in Tower Hamlets and The Queen’s Head in Chelsea.
From the outset of his Mayoralty, Sadiq Khan pledged to make safeguarding London’s night-time economy and culture a core priority, and protecting LGBT+ spaces is a key part of this. LGBT+ venues contribute to London’s economy, generate stronger and more resilient communities and are vital for many people’s freedom of expression.
In response to the findings, the Mayor has announced a series of initial measures to help stem the flow of closures:
Both Sadiq and Amy Lamé, the Mayor’s Night Czar, spoke out after the report, published by UCL Urban Laboratory, painted a stark picture for LGBT+ venues in London. In 2006, there were 125 venues in operation, while in 2017 there are just 53 – a fall of 58 per cent. The breakdown of where LGBT+ venues have been lost across the city is illustrated in an interactive map also released on Wednesday.
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One of the hardest-hit boroughs is Islington, which has lost 80 per cent of its LGBT+ venues since 2006. During the same period, Lambeth lost 47 per cent of its LGBT+ venues, with Camden and Westminster both losing 43 per cent. Despite LGBT+ venues often being thriving and successful businesses, today’s study shows that they are closing because of external pressures such as large-scale developments, a lack of safeguarding measures in the existing planning system and the sale and change of use of the property by landlords.
Other major drivers of closure include rising business rates and rents, as well as a change of ownership, which can sometimes lead to venues becoming targeted at non-LGBT+ clientele. London has suffered several high-profile LGBT+ venue losses over recent years, including The Black Cap in Camden, The Joiner’s Arms in Tower Hamlets and The Queen’s Head in Chelsea.
From the outset of his Mayoralty, Sadiq Khan pledged to make safeguarding London’s night-time economy and culture a core priority, and protecting LGBT+ spaces is a key part of this. LGBT+ venues contribute to London’s economy, generate stronger and more resilient communities and are vital for many people’s freedom of expression. In response to the findings, the Mayor has announced a series of initial measures to help stem the flow of closures:
- Night Czar mediation
The Mayor has instructed his Night Czar Amy Lamé to make protecting LGBT+ venues an urgent priority by acting as a mediator between venue owners, and developers and pub companies, and reaching out to venues in trouble to offer support from City Hall. Amy has already done extensive work in this area and recently stepped in to help ensure that Molly Moggs – an LGBT+ pub located in Soho – is saved for the community.
- Encouraging venues to sign up to a new LGBT+ Venues Charter
The Mayor and Night Czar have developed a new LGBT+ Venues Charter to help safeguard venues for the LGBT+ community. Venues, developers, pub companies and property owners are all encouraged to sign the Mayor’s LGBT+ Venues Charter. It is a practical tool that organisations can sign up to if they want to open a new LGBT+ venue or reopen one that has closed, to affirm their commitment to the LGBT+ community in London.
Mayor’s LGBT+ Venue Charter
1. A visible rainbow flag should be displayed on the outside of the venue
2. The venue should be marketed as an LGBT+ venue
3. The venue will provide a welcoming, accessible and safe environment for all
4. Management and staff should be LGBT+ friendly
5. Programming should be LGBT+ focused
This five-point pledge is endorsed by Stonewall, Pride in London, UK Black Pride, Queer Spaces Network, as well as several promoters and operators of LGBT+ venues.
Amy Lamé has been working closely with the Marmalade Pub Company, a partnership between the UK’s largest pub company, Ei Group and The Marylebone Leisure Group. The Marmalade Pub Company will shortly take over Soho institution Molly Moggs and will refurbish and reopen the venue as The Compton Cross later this summer. The company is the first signatory to the Mayor’s LGBT+ Venue Charter, which will ensure that the pub continues to be a fully inclusive and welcoming venue for the LGBT+ community.
- Carrying out an annual audit of LGBT+ venues
Sadiq has committed to undertake an annual audit, so that the number of LGBT+ venues in the capital can be tracked more closely, and efforts can be made to stem the flow of closures in the city. This annual audit will feed into Sadiq’s new Cultural Infrastructure Plan, which sets out to identify what is needed to sustain London’s future as a cultural capital.
The Cultural Infrastructure Plan will consider a wide range of cultural assets, from dance studios to theatres and artist studios to nightclubs, with a view to embedding culture into the forthcoming London Plan, the Mayor’s development strategy for the capital, ensuring that culture is planned in a similar way to other vital services, such as housing and transport.
- Building safeguarding measures into planning process
The Mayor has been a long-time advocate of introducing Agent of Change planning principle to safeguard London’s live music venues, clubs and pubs – including LGBT+ venues. Sadiq has pledged to introduce the principle in the next London Plan.
Night Czar mediation The Mayor has instructed his Night Czar Amy Lamé to make protecting LGBT+ venues an urgent priority by acting as a mediator between venue owners, and developers and pub companies, and reaching out to venues in trouble to offer support from City Hall. Amy has already done extensive work in this area and recently stepped in to help ensure that Molly Moggs – an LGBT+ pub located in Soho – is saved for the community. Encouraging venues to sign up to a new LGBT+ Venues Charter The Mayor and Night Czar have developed a new LGBT+ Venues Charter to help safeguard venues for the LGBT+ community. Venues, developers, pub companies and property owners are all encouraged to sign the Mayor’s LGBT+ Venues Charter. It is a practical tool that organisations can sign up to if they want to open a new LGBT+ venue or reopen one that has closed, to affirm their commitment to the LGBT+ community in London.
Mayor’s LGBT+ Venue Charter
1. A visible rainbow flag should be displayed on the outside of the venue
2. The venue should be marketed as an LGBT+ venue
3. The venue will provide a welcoming, accessible and safe environment for all
4. Management and staff should be LGBT+ friendly
5. Programming should be LGBT+ focused
This five-point pledge is endorsed by Stonewall, Pride in London, UK Black Pride, Queer Spaces Network, as well as several promoters and operators of LGBT+ venues. Amy Lamé has been working closely with the Marmalade Pub Company, a partnership between the UK’s largest pub company, Ei Group and The Marylebone Leisure Group. The Marmalade Pub Company will shortly take over Soho institution Molly Moggs and will refurbish and reopen the venue as The Compton Cross later this summer.
The company is the first signatory to the Mayor’s LGBT+ Venue Charter, which will ensure that the pub continues to be a fully inclusive and welcoming venue for the LGBT+ community.
- Carrying out an annual audit of LGBT+ venues
Sadiq has committed to undertake an annual audit, so that the number of LGBT+ venues in the capital can be tracked more closely, and efforts can be made to stem the flow of closures in the city. This annual audit will feed into Sadiq’s new Cultural Infrastructure Plan, which sets out to identify what is needed to sustain London’s future as a cultural capital. The Cultural Infrastructure Plan will consider a wide range of cultural assets, from dance studios to theatres and artist studios to nightclubs, with a view to embedding culture into the forthcoming London Plan, the Mayor’s development strategy for the capital, ensuring that culture is planned in a similar way to other vital services, such as housing and transport.
- Building safeguarding measures into planning process
The Mayor has been a long-time advocate of introducing Agent of Change planning principle to safeguard London’s live music venues, clubs and pubs – including LGBT+ venues. Sadiq has pledged to introduce the principle in the next London Plan.
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