London’s new Labour Party Mayor, Sadiq Khan, has said that one of his first orders of business will be to appoint a “Night Mayor,” specifically to counteract the closing of music venues at the current alarming rate.
Previous Mayor Boris Johnson, who took control in 2008, saw a city where the city has lost 1/3 of its venues, while countrywide the numbers have gone from 3,144 (2005) to 1,733 (2015). The idea of a Night Mayor, which has been pioneered in Amsterdam, aims to represent nightlife culture and business at London’s council meetings.
“I don’t want young and creative Londoners abandoning our city to head to Amsterdam, to Berlin, to Prague where clubs are supported and allowed to flourish,” Khan told Dazed and Confused. “I want them to be able to celebrate what they love in the city that they love, rather than punish them or force their activities underground or abroad.”
The appointing of the position is just part of Khan’s strategy to rebuild the once thriving London club scene, with other initiatives making it more difficult for developers to build on cultural sites and new soundproofing regulations. With this newfound fulfilment of one of his campaign pledges, it seems like Khan is serious on the matter.
Source: Supajam
