The capital’s night time industries get another boost.

London mayor Boris Johnson has announced the Night Time Commission, a six-month investigation into how to protect and manage the UK capital’s night time economy.

The Night Time Commission will report its findings in autumn 2016 and make recommendations about supporting London’s clubs and the appointment, role and responsibilities of an Amsterdam-style “night time champion.”

Johnson said in a statement: “There is no doubt that the night time economy is hugely important to our prosperity and the life of our city, but there is insufficient oversight for the way it is managed and problems are mitigated.

“It is brilliantly successful, but night time activities can be seen as causes of noise and nuisance, whilst businesses complain that rising property values, the need for housing, licensing requirements and other red tape are damaging their operations, even leading to closures.

“If we are to compete against other world cities is vital that we develop policies to reconcile the competing needs and concerns.”

While the night time industry employs 1.3 million people and is worth £66 billion a year to the UK economy according the Night Time Industries Association, a recent report suggested the UK’s clubs are closing at an “alarming rate.”

The statement follows the announcement last week of new government legislation to protect UK music venues from developers, and the recent news that nightclub entry fees have been removed from UK inflation statistics due to a decline in venues.

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