Queer performer and activist Amy Lamé appointed London Night Czar by Sadiq Khan
By Josh Lee
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has today (November 4) announced his new Night Czar – writer, DJ performer and campaigner Amy Lamé.
Following the success of Night Mayors in cities such as Berlin and San Francisco, Khan created a new role to champion London’s night life. Bringing a wealth of cultural experience with her – including being one of the founding members of the hugely popular queer performance group ducky – Lamé’s tasked with ensuring the city continues to flourish after dark.
With a huge number of clubs and bars – including many notable LGBT spaces – falling to gentrification over recent years, Lamé hopes she can work to reverse the increasing pressure London’s night-time industry faces: “I can’t wait to hit the streets and have loads of ideas of what I can do for revellers, night-time workers, businesses and stakeholders,” she said.
“For too long, the capital’s night-time industry has been under pressure – music venues and nightclubs in particular are closing at an alarming rate.”
Lamé brings extensive knowledge of and experience in the city’s after-dark cultural scene – among her achievements is successfully campaigning to have legendary LGBT bar the Royal Vauxhall Tavern protected as a grade II listed building. She also served as Mayoress of Camden between 2010 and 2011, during which she promoted the Boroughs’s vibrant night time scene.
She will champion London’s nightlife both in the UK and internationally and will do vital work with the night time industries, local authorities, the Metropolitan Police, Transport for London and the public to ensure London thrives as a 24-hour city. Sadiq Khan has tasked her with setting out a roadmap of how this vision will be delivered and she will build on opportunities such as the Night Tube to diversify and grow London’s night time economy.
Citing the closure of “world-famous” nightclub Fabric, Khan desribed Lame as a “much-needed ambassador for the city after dark.”
He added: “Amy is a fantastic hire who will give a big boost to our city’s flourishing nightlife which already attracts millions of visitors each year. Her proven track-record of helping save venues, her first-hand experience of the industry over the last two decades as well as her love for London and its nightlife are what make her such a great candidate for the role. She is in an ideal position to work together with venues, authorities, developers and revellers enjoying a night out to solve difficult issues and get new and creative projects going.
“London is now the biggest city in the world to appoint a Night Czar, and over the coming weeks I’ll be going even further and extending the work of the Night Time Commission. I look forward to appointing a new Chair of the Commission to work with Amy to ensure London thrives as a 24-hour-city.”