Mayor of London Sadiq Khan: In London, transgender people should be free to be who they are

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has rolled out an action plan to protect the city’s LGBT venues.

The Mayor today published his draft London Plan, which contains a raft of measures intended to make the capital more inclusive and welcoming for its LGBT+ citizens.

The plan outlines measures to protect LGBT venues in the capital.

Earlier this year, alarming figures were released showing how the number of LGBT+ venues have fallen by 58 per cent in the past decade. In 2006, there were 125 venues in operation, while in 2017 there are just 53 – a fall of 58 per cent.

One of the hardest-hit boroughs is Islington, which has lost 80 per cent of its LGBT+ venues since 2006. During the same period, Lambeth lost 47 per cent of its LGBT+ venues, with Camden and Westminster both losing 43 per cent.

Some of the city’s most iconic LGBT venues, such as the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, have staved off threats of redevelopment over the past few years, while others have battled with licensing rules and rent hikes.

The “Agent of Change principle” outlined in the plan insulates venues from complaints connected with development, by stipulaitng that developers building new residential properties near LGBT+ venues “will be responsible for ensuring they are adequately soundproofed and designed to reduce sound”.

This means that the cost will fall on property developers, rather than on the pubs and clubs.