London Councils is seeking urgent talks with culture secretary, Tessa Jowell, to ensure council taxpayers do not pick up the tab for licensing for the capital's bars, pubs, clubs and other entertainment venues. The Government is considering increasing the charges councils can levy for issuing licences, following an independent review by Sir Les Elton which found the current fees structure was failing to cover the full costs to councils. Councils in the capital face extra costs because of the large number of licences they deal with. Cllr Daniel Moylan, chairman of London Councils' transport and environment committee, said: ‘We had been continually promised that the fees would cover the costs but, so far, this has failed to materialise. ‘It will be grossly unfair if Londoners are left to continue to pick up the tab for the Government's licensing regime. ‘It is vital that any changes to the fees acknowledge the capital's special circumstances, otherwise Londoners will continue to get the raw end of the deal as boroughs seek ways of raising the money needed to fulfill their licensing obligations.'
