There is an unwritten rule when it comes to being young. You may have less money than you’ve ever had before, but at least you can spend it on going out and having fun. Except, that social contract appears to be breaking down, at least in the capital.
A new survey from YouGov finds that nearly half of Londoners have been forced to end a night out earlier than they wanted. The data chimes with rising concern about the state of the city’s nightlife, with revellers now having to go home because there is simply nothing still open. Londoners might ask the Mayor’s Night Czar what is going on, but that position is vacant, following the resignation of Amy Lamé.
The reasons Londoners gave for going home early will not come as a massive surprise to night owls and night club owners alike. For 29 per cent, it was a lack of available venues, 35 per cent cited premature last orders while 45 per cent blamed a lack of available public transport options.
Young Londoners might instead respond by throwing more house parties, but even here, the capital’s housing problems are getting in the way. A lack of rental options means more young (and not quite so young) people are flatsharing. Indeed, one in two Londoners haven’t thrown a house party in the last 12 months, with a quarter of respondents citing renting as the reason why.
Unlike New York, the capital has never claimed to be the city that never sleeps. But it has always prided itself as a place for a good time, pretty much whatever the time. That appears to be changing. This is not only deleterious for the capital’s nighttime economy, but for the health of the city as a whole.
If young people are paying eye-watering rents for a small bedroom and share of a bathroom, and cannot even stay with friends until the early hours, we ought not be surprised if they begin to vote with their feet and move elsewhere. And London, already a city with too few children, will become even more of a retirement community. And who would want to live there?
