• Petition to Councillor Chas Booth - Licensing Board.
• Party: Scottish Green Party
• Ward 13 - Leith
• Drop-in advice surgery:
• Leith Library, 28-30 Ferry Road EH6 4AE
• Every Tuesday during school term time, 5.30pm - 6.30pm

No need to book an appointment - just turn up!

School term dates can be found here: https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/schools/term-dates

Contact information

Correspondence address: 

• The City of Edinburgh Council
• City Chambers
• High Street
• Edinburgh
• EH1 1YJ

Bus. phone: 0131 529 3182

The Central Bar, Leith, is more than just a place to grab a pint. It's an integral part of our community providing live music and entertainment that brings us together and enriches our cultural landscape. However, the pub's music license has been revoked!

The Central Bar has a very long history in Leith, we've all been in there after work, to meet our friends and family, or sauntered in for a friendly pint and sing a long with our local bands. The Central has been a vital community venue for Leithers, for decades. There's rarely any trouble, the drinks and staff are great and it's always been a great community hotspot to see old and new faces. We've all enjoyed great nights of music from the likes of Andy Chung!

Sadly, Edinburgh council have revoked the music license due to 'noise' complaints from neighbours. Only, there are no neighbours!

So why now, given there are umpteen music venues up and down Leith Walk?

Surely this is a step too far, even for the council, considering music venues are a vital resource to local economies and the Central has been pivotal to this in Leith, for decades.

According to UK Music’s Wish You Were Here report (2019), music tourism contributes £4.7 billion annually to the UK economy and supports 45,000 jobs nationwide. There are always new folks who enjoy our local culture sharing a laugh and a pint or two in our famous bar, here in sunny Leith. So what is the council doing removing the music license from a community pub that's part of our history?

The loss of this license would not only impact the pub but also local musicians who rely on these venues for exposure and income. In addition, it would deprive residents and visitors of diverse musical experiences that contribute significantly to our cultural identity.

We urge the licensing authorities to consider these implications seriously - removing the Central's music license will only negatively impact our community's vibrancy and economic health.

Please sign this petition if you believe in preserving live music at our beloved local Central Bar in Leith.