What is vertical drinking?
‘Vertical drinking’ is drinking while standing. Standing-up drinking is popular outside many of London’s pubs, considered a way of life for Thursday and Friday pub goers immediately after office-working hours.
Westminster council has within its jurisdiction the largest amount of pubs and licensed premises than any other council in the UK. Westminster council is set to review and renew its licensing policy on October 1st 2026. In the lead up, the council has published draft proposals, and one such policy has created an enormous stir.
The proposal was to refuse vertical drinking in a specific area, the West End including Soho and Leicester Square. This would impact new drink, food, and music licenses, with guidance to have new venues operate via a predominantly seated operation, with waiter service. There would also be a key reduction on customers drinking while standing, enforce through licensing restrictions.
Westminster Council argues that by restricting vertical-drinking and standing to order at the bar, Soho pubs will be less likely to feature a sea of customers spilling out on to the street – which is linked to theft, crime, road safety risks and drunken disorderliness.
Westminster Vertical Drinking Ban Uproar
As news of the draft proposal spread, it also evolved in the media. A wave of discourse followed, all in the vein of: Council’s taking away British pasttime of standing outside pubs. – The independent on Thursday 6th August said ‘vertical drinking’ is part of the fabric of our society. The Guardian on Friday argues standing up with a drink is a time-honoured tradition. In the BBC, the London Mayor Sadiq Khan was quoted as “you can’t run a world-famous nightlife district with a village-hall mindset”. Even Downing Street weighed in, vowing to confiscate powers from councils who attempt to restrict customers from vertical drinking or ordering at the bar.
Westminster Council’s rebuttal to the Vertical Drinking discourse
Westminster council has instead there is nothing to be alarmed about, and the media discourse is false and scare-mongering. Councillor Tim Barnes published a rebuttal on Friday 7th August in light of the viral uproar.
Statement on new Westminster Council by Councillor Tim Barnes:
“It is utterly ludicrous to suggest the Council is planning to “ban” people standing up in pubs. Suggesting otherwise is a wilful misreading of the policy proposals with clauses taken out of context.
We want people to go out in the West End and have a good time. Our guidance is simply about encouraging venues to manage their customers so people don’t pack onto pavements or excessive drinking doesn’t disturb others passing by.
The Cumulative Impact Zone is recognised as an area that has a high concentration of activity and particular policies exist for that in Westminster and the Mayor’s London-wider planning. There is a legal obligation to look at every application on its merits and we do just that, meaning we see new venues opening all the time. Again, there is little change here from the policy of previous administrations and we have seen new pubs and fast-food outlets open recently including a licence extension for the McDonald’s on Leicester Square, which will now be open 24 hours despite objections from the Mayor’s police representatives.
We are the country’s largest planning authority with some 4,000 licensed venues. We reject less than 1.5% of license applications and there is a strong desire to see thriving, profitable, venues across Westminster.
As we have made clear we are happy to work with the Mayor of London on licensing and have just launched our own campaign to promote nights out in Soho.”
Another chapter in London’s licensing Saga
It is unlikely this licensing saga surrounding vertical drinking will extend much further. It could however, be a catalyst for even stronger powers being gifted to the London Mayor, allowing his to overrule council decisions on licensing.
The council’s reflection on the media discourse around vertical drinking will hopefully end this unhappy chapter – however the saga continues. NDML have previously reported on the £500,000 pedestrianisation scheme in Soho still underway, and the government’s plan to gift Sadiq Khan new powers. Noise complaints, public safety concerns, anti-social behaviour and core drinking hours are all consistent sticking points which cause friction between Soho business owners and Westminster council.