Late licence revoked for Balham restaurant employing ‘illegal workers’

By Charlotte Lillywhite, Local Democracy Service

A restaurant and shisha lounge has been stripped of its late-night licence after it was found to be employing illegal workers.

The owner of Lebanese Gardens Lounge in Balham High Road, Balham has been told to pay legal costs of nearly £15,000 after losing an appeal against Wandsworth council’s earlier decision to remove the licence.

It comes after Home Office officials found five people working at the restaurant without a legal right to work in the UK during a raid in March last year.

The workers told immigration officers they were being paid well below the minimum wage, according to the council, with one claiming he was only receiving meals at the restaurant as pay.

The council said owner Karim Ali denied the claims but could not provide evidence to support this or an adequate explanation for paying employees less than the minimum wage.

The authority’s licensing committee revoked the restaurant’s licence in June last year.

A report on the committee’s decision said Mr Ali had changed all staff at the restaurant following the raid.

It said: “Mr Ali disputed the wage rates given by employees when they had been interviewed by the Home Office enforcement team.

“He insisted that all employees were paid at least the minimum wage and food was not included as part of their pay. One man was on a trial shift and was not being paid but did receive a free meal at the end of the shift.”

But the report said the committee “felt that paying less than minimum wage is indicative that Mr Ali was aware that his employees did not have the right to work in the UK”.

It added: “It was clear that such workers would struggle to find alternative employment and are unlikely to complain. It was found that it was most likely that the licence holder did know that workers were being employed illegally.”

Mr Ali’s appeal against the decision was rejected just before Christmas, the council said, meaning the restaurant is no longer allowed to serve drinks after 11pm. He must also pay the council’s legal costs of just under £15,000.

Caroline Sharkey, head of licensing, said: “This case sends out two strong messages to licence holders – that they must not employ people whose immigration status means they are not allowed to work and they must not exploit any staff members by paying them less than the minimum wage.

“Business owners who flout these simple rules run the very real risk of losing their licence.”

Pictured top: Lebanese Gardens Lounge, 225 Balham High Road. (Picture by: Google Maps)