This is strange and disturbing. It seems that Westminster council has ideas about banning people drinking in bars / pubs who are not sat at tables. Apparently this concept (it is not a concept, it is what we all do) is called vertical drinking.
I saw this cartoon today. It reminded me of my time living in Glasgow. Then there definitely was vertical drinking. And horizontal drinking. And horizontal post-drinking.
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i thought they confirmed it was a joke, or was that another news storyâŠ
I think Westminster council were serious about this, but now deny all knowledge.
They were attempting to turn pubs into restaurants basically, making the West End more upmarket, more expensive. Utter fools.
Well, the solution if this is true a small, collapsible lawn chair with side table will be the next thing to trend!
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Vertical Drinking BANNED !!
As if that could be a priority for M-UK-GA.
The Danes, for one, have long had.
These and larger. 4- 6 people. Spaced two armlengths apart.
Conversations from all directions.
A most congenial meeting area.
Many a relationship started. âVerticallyâ
>> 
Get a Grip, Andy. Horizontal just slides into Inertia.
How appropriate.
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Yes, take it with you from pub to pubâŠ
Iâm still standing (yeah, yeah, yeah)
how do you pay if your nor standingâŠoh!! i see !!
Screw 'em!
I canât afford to drink in pubs and clubs, itâll ruin the hospitality industry just as much as the ban on smoking did (BTW, I donât smoke).
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yes it was something like that. They pretended it was all a fake news story.
Totally absurd Idea! Hospitality is struggling as it is, it wonât happen, if it was implemented Iâd love to see how theyâd enforced it 
Folks should drink at home, and spare the abstainers any grief 
Beer at home means Davenports, what happened to Davenports, they are responsible for geezers drinking on the pavement and making Birds feel uncomfortable!
Ban it, lets close the Geezer era 
You may have read media reports suggesting Westminster City Council is planning to ban people from standing up in pubs - or âvertical drinkingâ.
This is completely untrue. There is not, and never has been, a plan to stop people standing in pubs to have a drink. We want people to enjoy our fantastic pubs and bars - and we want them to do that safely. Our licensing consultation is asking people about the best way to ensure our venues can serve the millions of people who visit London and the West End every year.
Here is a quick guide to what our consultation is - and isnât - about
Is the council banning standing in pubs?
No. This is 100 per cent untrue.
But your policy document says the council discourages standing while drinking (vertical drinking)?
No, it doesnât. In the West End, where there are already hundreds of venues, it can be harder to justify a new premises. The policy says that in a small number of cases, it may be easier to get one for a venue where you sit at tables rather than stand up. Most new licenses will look just like they do anywhere else, but for this small group, thereâs an extra option to encourage more continental cafe-style drinking. Thatâs what the policy is all about.
Arenât you being the fun police?
We encourage and support the pub and bar trade - we approve over 98 per cent of applications, more people are employed in hospitality in Westminster than live in the borough. Itâs part of what makes Westminster so special. Our job is to manage the whole area and strike a balance with licensing laws which require us to balance the impact of pubs, bars and restaurants with the interest of business and those who want to go out to have a good time.
Itâs important, for public safety and avoiding anti-social behaviour, that we consider if a new venue should also allow standing outside when the surrounding streets are already full of people. In many cases, new venues are allowed to have outdoor standing or drinking space. Venues just need to show that they have considered crowding concerns and put measures in place to keep their customers safe. Sometimes providing additional seating helps ease these concerns. Thatâs just common sense.
Is this new?
No. Every five years the council is legally required to review licensing policy.
The language about âvertical drinkingâ, and âcumulative impactâ has been in place for over 10 years under.
Will the council scrap these plans?
The policies many have raised concerns about are not new. They are the same as they have been for many years. We understand some of the technical terms may be confusing and sound a bit like jargon, so itâs important we as a Council make sure our policy is clear and easy to understand.
That is exactly the feedback we are looking for in our current consultation, and we will be listening and updating the guidance as part of that process.
Just ban Geezers with beer.
thatâs completely irrelevant to a discussion about bars and pubs because they are including the hotel & restaurant trade in those figures. Itâs also questionable how they reached that statistic.
sorry this is a way of admitting that they are trying to stop vertical drinking while pretending they are not. Every venue has a maximum volume of visitors for fire safety. To say that you need to include additional seating to keep people âsafeâ is prescriptive and dictatorial. So they are admitting to being such. Just because they say itâs common sense doesnât mean it is.
how condescending.
they are saying they need to find a better way to explain so that AI doesnât pick up what they are really doing next time.