The Summer Streets Fund
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has re-launched the Summer Streets Fund this year to boost trade for the hospitality industry, promote employment and create vibrant spaces for dining, events and community cohesion across the capital.
The announcement was made in the wake of the success of the first Summer Streets Fund in 2025, which was worth £300,000, and boosted al fresco dining in the London boroughs of Lambeth, Hackney, Waltham Forest and Westminster. Businesses in these areas reported an increase in footfall and revenue, as visitors and residents embraced the opportunity to attend more outdoor events.
This year, 13 London boroughs have received a combined grant of £400,000 to support al fresco dining, outdoor events, markets, cultural activities and extended trading hours throughout the summer and into autumn. Revenue grants of £50,000 to £100,000 were made available for large scale al fresco projects, while “smaller” pocket al fresco schemes secured grants of £2,500 to £10,000, allowing local businesses to expand their outdoor spaces and welcome more customers.
The Summer Streets initiative notably offered support to venues which hosted match screenings of the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup, enabling them to utilise funding to extend their operating hours and expand their capacity.
Projects Supported by the Fund
• Large-Scale Projects: 4 projects in the boroughs of Barking & Dagenham, Brent, Greenwich, and Lambeth have received grants of up to £100,000 to transform local areas with outdoor dining, World Cup screenings, markets, and cultural activities.
• Pocket Schemes: 11 smaller projects in Brent, Camden, Ealing, Haringey, Hounslow, Islington, Lewisham, Newham, Sutton, and Waltham Forest have received up to £10,000 each. These funds will deliver food and drink night markets, DJ sets, live music, and family-friendly community events.
Additionally, the Mayor has introduced a “Weekend Hopper” travel initiative. Passengers using London’s trams or buses on Saturdays or Sundays between 25 July and 31 August will pay a single fare for unlimited journeys across the capital on that day.
The Importance of the Summer Streets Fund
London’s hospitality sector has faced difficulties over recent years, due to post-pandemic recovery and the cost of living crisis, both of which have an effect on hospitality operators. The Summer Streets Fund is a timely response to this pressure, allowing local authorities and businesses to extend trading hours and increase footfall to contribute to high street revival.
The fund also highlights the Mayor’s broader ambition to establish outdoor dining in London as a permanent feature of the city, rather than a seasonal novelty. This intent is underscored by the Mayor’s decision to override local opposition to new licence applications in Soho, Westminster – one of London’s most prominent nightlife hubs.
We recently published an article on this topic: ‘The Soho Society’s Decision to Challenge Licence Applications in Westminster’.
Three UK heatwaves so far this summer have further driven consumer demand for outdoor spaces, prompting London residents and visitors to seek relaxing outdoor environments to cool down.
A New Era for Licensing in London
The rollout of the Summer Streets Fund coincides with the launch of the Mayor’s new strategic licensing powers, which formally took effect on 29 June 2026. This marks the first time the Mayor of London has held a direct, statutory role in the licensing process.
Under these new powers, the Mayor can:
- Create a London-wide Strategic Licensing Policy;
- Make formal representations on licensing decisions;
- Act as a statutory consultee when individual boroughs revise their licensing policies; and
- “Call-in” strategically significant licensing decisions.
Through these powers, the Mayor aims to harmonise licensing practices across the capital, establishing a more cohesive system. Ultimately, the Summer Streets Fund serves as a practical tool to encourage local councils to champion and revitalise the capital’s bars, cafes, and broader nightlife economy.
How Our Licensing Solicitors Can Help
We provide comprehensive advice and representation on all aspects of licensing policies and licence applications:
We can help you by:
- Reviewing and interpreting local authority licensing policies
- Advising on how policies affect your application
- Preparing compliant and strategically structured licence applications
- Representing you in licensing hearings and negotiations
- Justifying applications that deviate from licensing policies
- Helping protect your licence from review or revocation
We act for a wide range of businesses, including restaurants, bars, pubs, nightclubs, event venues, and hospitality operators. Our solicitors routinely deal with contested applications across London, and are specialists in negotiating with responsible authorities, residents’ associations and neighbouring properties to seek a compromise and ensure a suitably licence is obtained.
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