Westminster Council U-turn on charges for winter al fresco scheme in the West End

Restaurants and bars throughout Soho and the West End will no longer have to stump up thousands of pounds for serving outside, Westminster Council has announced.

On Friday, the Standard reported that businesses wishing to trade outdoors this winter would have to pay fees of £7 per square metre of street space used, per day. Charged at a minimum daily rate of £35 for five metres of space, restaurateurs faced bills of at least £1,085 per month, and in many cases far more.

These charges – branded "unconscionable" and "a kick in the teeth" by hospitality bosses – have since been dropped.

In a statement released on the council website, Westminster City Council leader Rachael Robathan, said: “We recognise that restaurants are facing desperate times – that’s why we introduced the summer al fresco dining scheme and have extended it to the winter.

"In view of additional central government funding, announced on Thursday, we are able to cover costs of the winter scheme so that restaurants and bars can serve customers without any extra cost being charged by the council.”

Additionally, Ms Robathan tweeted: "Hospitality industry faces desperate times and we are here to help."

The al fresco scheme, which the Standard first broke the news of in late May, has helped 90 per cent of the area’s hospitality businesses to continue to trade, and is said to have saved more than 2,000 jobs.

With social distancing, the 10pm curfew and Tier 2 restrictions banning household mixing indoors, being able to trade outdoors is proving a lifeline for many of Soho's businesses. Much of London's hospitality trade will prove mostly unaffected by the support announced by Chancellor Rishi Sunak last week, which business leaders greeted warmly, while warning that it would be unlikely to go far enough towards saving struggling firms.