You Could Be London’s First Night Czar

Applications are open for the new role of London night czar, created by Sadiq Khan to help boost the city’s night economy, as Dazed points out. Khan, who recently took the London mayorship for Labour, ran on a platform promising greater protection for nightclubs. (Nearly half of UK clubs have closed in the last decade, according to figures reported last year by the BBC.) Last weekend, Khan launched the long-delayed night tube, meaning certain underground lines now run for 24 hours on weekends. The night czar role will involve “developing and diversifying London’s night time economy,” according to the job description, which specifies applicants should have “proven leadership ability, public profile and convening power, plus a thorough understanding of the night time economy and the ability to work in a political environment.” Applications close September 12.

Before his election, Khan said:

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. 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.

Khan is also planning a policy that protects clubs against the cost of noise-insulating new homes built nearby, according to a recent Guardian article. He added, “We’re also going to make sure that planning law is such that if you want to change a music venue or a nightclub from what it’s currently being used for to luxury flats, you need to have very good reasons.”

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