10/10/2026
LICENSING EXTENSION APPROVED, SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT
Following recent coverage by the Romford Recorder, The Havering Daily and other local news outlets concerning Frankie’s W**e Bar and our application to extend our Friday and Saturday opening hours until 2am, we want to clarify the outcome and provide an accurate account of the process.
We are delighted to confirm that our application to extend our opening hours until 2am has been APPROVED, with mutually agreed licensing conditions.
For clarity, Havering Council’s Licensing Authority withdrew its representation on 30th September 2026, followed a couple of days later by the Metropolitan Police Licensing Team. Havering Council’s Environmental Health department was the final authority to withdraw its representation, but, they did so following further discussions and agreement on conditions.
This meant that, by the time some of the recent articles were published, two of the three authorities that had originally submitted representations had already withdrawn. Leaving Havering Council’s Environmental Health department as the only outstanding party, they too withdrew prior to some more recent coverage. The application was resolved without the need for a hearing, and the Licensing Sub-Committee hearing scheduled for Friday the 9th October was therefore cancelled, this development also occurred prior to the most recent coverage being published.
On Wednesday the 7th October, we received direct confirmation from Havering Council that we were authorised to operate under our extended hours that weekend, with the agreed conditions. This was after previously receiving verbal confirmation on the successful outcome.
Despite this, some subsequent coverage nevertheless continued to describe Frankie’s as facing opposition from authorities that had already withdrawn their representations and as awaiting a contested committee decision. We appreciate that articles may have been prepared at different stages of the process and that circumstances can change. However, these developments were significant, and we believe coverage should reflect the position accurately and fairly.
Our concern is not that the original representations were reported. It is that readers may have been left with the impression that they remained active and that the application was still unresolved, when all representations had been withdrawn, the conditions agreed and the hearing cancelled.
We respect the role of local journalism and recognise the public interest in licensing applications. We would nevertheless ask that reporting concerning independent local businesses is accurate, balanced and appropriately updated when material developments occur.
We also wish to clarify references to alleged complaints, police incidents and antisocial behaviour.
Recent articles have referred to complaints reportedly made during 2026. Despite requests, we have not been provided with supporting evidence for those allegations. The most recent complaint for which we have received documented evidence dates from 2024.
We fully respect our residents’ right to raise concerns and remain committed to addressing genuine issues responsibly. However, an allegation, a recorded complaint and a substantiated finding are not interchangeable and should not be presented as though they are.
The same applies to police incident logs. A record of contact with the police does not, by itself, establish that a crime or antisocial behaviour was caused by a premises or its customers. Some of the contacts referenced involved enquiries about lost personal belongings, while another involved our own licensee reporting a disturbance on the public street, to name a couple.
The context of such records should therefore be established before conclusions are drawn about a business and used so conclusively.
Antisocial behaviour in Hornchurch is a wider community issue and should not automatically be attributed to individual licensed premises. All business in Hornchurch are always trying to improve, minimise and work together to create a safe community. Metropolitan Police figures previously reported for St Andrew’s ward, which includes Hornchurch town centre, recorded 104 crime and antisocial behaviour incidents during August 2026. These included 28 reports of antisocial behaviour, 26 violence and sexual offences, 11 vehicle crimes and 9 drug offences.
The Metropolitan Police have also identified violent shoplifting around Hornchurch High Street, antisocial behaviour and drug related activity in public spaces, and vehicle related theft in the town centre car parks as local policing concerns. These figures demonstrate wider community safety issues, but do not establish that any of these incidents were caused by Frankie’s or its customers.
There have also been wider concerns reported locally regarding youth related antisocial behaviour in Hornchurch, including groups gathering in public spaces, disturbances and other incidents affecting the town centre.
Frankie’s operates a strict over 25s admissions policy and primarily serves a mature clientele.
We are also one of the smallest bars in Hornchurch town centre. Until this application, we had not been permitted the same later operating hours already available to several larger establishments nearby.
Throughout the process, we cooperated with the relevant authorities, engaged professionals and specialists, reviewed our sound system and invested in measures designed to minimise potential disturbance. We also raised concerns about the proportionality of some conditions initially proposed, particularly in comparison with the operating arrangements of nearby premises.
We recognise that each premises must be considered on its own merits. However, licensing requirements should be evidence based, necessary, proportionate and fair.
Our position has never been about avoiding responsibility or refusing reasonable conditions.
We have agreed to the final conditions and also remain committed to the licensing objectives that we already strongly uphold.
Although, Havering Council confirmed on the 7th October that we could operate under the extended hours that weekend, we have chosen not to introduce the later closing time immediately. We need time to implement the agreed conditions, make the necessary arrangements and communicate the changes clearly to our customers, we believe this is the responsible approach.
We ask the Romford Recorder, The Havering Daily and any other outlets that have reported on this application to update their coverage to reflect the approval, the withdrawal of all representations and the cancellation of the hearing.
We also ask that future coverage distinguish clearly between allegations, complaints and substantiated findings, and that police incident records are presented with appropriate context.
We are asking for accurate, balanced and up to date reporting. So, on a more positive note, we would like to extend an invitation to the local press.
We would genuinely welcome the Romford Recorder, The Havering Daily and other local news outlets to reach out, come down to Frankie’s, meet the people behind the business and see first hand what we have worked so hard to create.
Independent businesses are an important part of our local community. Behind every one of them are people who invest their time, money, energy and livelihoods into building something they believe in that serves our local community.
This approval is a positive milestone for Frankie’s, achieved through continued investment, cooperation and a commitment to operating responsibly.
We would love to see that success recognised and celebrated too.
Finally, we thank our customers, staff and everyone who has supported Frankie’s throughout this process, particularly those who submitted letters of support.
As an independent local business, our reputation matters greatly to us. We are proud of the venue we have created, the people who visit us and our place within the Hornchurch community.
We look forward to welcoming customers under our extended opening hours soon, with the same commitment to responsible hospitality that has always been central to Frankie’s.
The Frankie’s Team ❤️
