3 days ago
Hackney council has unveiled a bold new nightlife strategy – with free phone charging and water stations
Everyone loves a night out in Hackney. Whether it's a sweaty gig at MOTH Club or boogieing into the small hours at Dalston Superstore, the borough's nightlife has long been one of the best things about it. Now, Hackney Council has announced a new strategy aimed at making nights out in the borough safer, more inclusive and better supported.
Titled Good Evening Hackney, the plan introduces free phone charging points, water refill stations and weekend welfare teams patrolling the streets. There's also free training for venue staff on drink spiking prevention and noise management, as part of the Hackney Nights accreditation scheme. Accredited venues get a Late Night Levy discount, which might make staying open past midnight a little less painful.
There's a focus on women's safety too, and on making nightlife work for communities who've historically been left out of the conversation. In short, it all sounds like a step in the right direction.
Plus, the plan lands a few months after Sadiq Khan launched a London Nightlife Taskforce to help revive nightlife across the capital. That group is still gathering public input on what's working, what's not, and what nightlife in London should look like.
But what do these new policies mean for helping clubs stay open, protecting them from developers, and encouraging venues to open in the first place? In recent years London has been accused of closing down early (with half of Londoners supposedly in bed by midnight), and shoving out all nightlife to superclubs in the suburbs. Hackney nightlife specifically has been in the spotlight in recent months, with MOTH Club, Netil360 and Night Tales Loft all facing threats from nearby developments.
The rollout of this strategy marks a shift in tone from Hackney Council, which was widely criticised in 2018 after introducing strict licensing rules that made it harder for new venues to open late. Good Evening Hackney suggests the council wants to show support for nightlife – but with so many grassroots venues still under threat, it's fair to ask whether these measures go far enough.
