Plan to limit 'vertical drinking' decried by pub landlords and UK politicians
- A proposal by Westminster City Council aims to limit 'vertical drinking' in pubs and restaurants.
- Politicians, including Prime Minister Andy Burnham and London Mayor Sadiq Khan, have criticized the proposal.
- The council claims the goal is to reduce noise and encourage table service, not to ban standing while drinking.
- Local pub owners argue that standing and socializing is a vital part of the pub culture.
- The council's draft policy is still open for public comment and aims to balance safety with the needs of the hospitality industry.
LONDON (AP) — A proposal to limit 'vertical drinking,' a bureaucratic euphemism for having a pint while standing, has turned into a political headache for one local government council in London.
Politicians from Prime Minister Andy Burnham to London Mayor Sadiq Khan have piled in to decry the idea from Westminster City Council, which is responsible for licensing pubs and restaurants in the West End, a nightlife hub popular with tourists and locals.
Lesley Lewis, who has run the French House pub in Soho for 37 years, said discouraging that tradition would only drive customers to other parts of the city. The council’s draft licensing policy includes a proposal to discourage 'excessive drunkenness' by encouraging business owners to provide more opportunities for people to sit and enjoy a drink and order food by table service in place of open bar space that caters for high volume vertical drinking.
While the council’s policy statement stresses the important role the hospitality industry plays in the local economy, it also says local leaders must ensure Westminster is 'a great place for residents to live.'
限制“垂直饮酒”的计划遭到酒吧老板和英国政客的反对
伦敦（美联社）——一项限制“垂直饮酒”的提案，即站着喝酒，已成为伦敦一个地方政府委员会的政治难题。
包括首相安迪·伯纳姆和伦敦市长萨迪克·汗在内的政客们纷纷对威斯敏斯特市议会的这一想法表示反对，该议会负责西区酒吧和餐馆的许可，这里是一个受游客和当地人欢迎的夜生活中心。
在索霍经营法国酒吧37年的莱斯利·刘易斯表示，劝阻这一传统只会将顾客驱赶到城市的其他地方。市议会的草案许可政策包括一项提案，旨在通过鼓励商家提供更多坐下享用饮品和点餐的机会来减少“过度醉酒”，而不是为高容量的垂直饮酒提供开放的酒吧空间。
尽管市议会的政策声明强调了餐饮业在当地经济中所扮演的重要角色，但也表示地方领导者必须确保威斯敏斯特是“居民生活的好地方”。