Wolverhampton Council's licensing committee will decide on August 26 whether a city centre club that lost its licence for employing an illegal worker can reopen under a new name. The hearing, postponed from July, will consider an application by Lucky Iguodala to reopen the former Calif Bar in Stafford Street as Vivant Lounge, with proposed opening hours from 11am to 5am.
Fire and police objections to new application
West Midlands Fire Service has objected to the application, stating that the venue's fire safety risk assessments were "not suitable or sufficient." West Midlands Police also raised concerns and requested that the club's closing time be reduced to 2am. The venue is located within the council's 'cumulative impact zone,' an area with higher crime and disorder rates and a high density of pubs, clubs, late-night venues, and takeaways. This designation means new licence applications face stricter conditions, and the burden is on applicants to demonstrate their business will not exacerbate existing problems.
Previous licence revocation and fine
The council's licensing committee revoked Calif Bar's licence in April, citing owner Mr Idahor's "total lack of compliance with rules and regulations" and deeming him unfit to run the venue. Calif Bar was fined £45,000 last year after Home Office immigration enforcement officers found that Mr Idahor employed a chef who had no right to work in the UK. The fine remains unpaid. The woman, arrested by immigration officers after the inspection, had held a valid visiting visa from September 2007 to March 2008 but did not leave when it expired and had never held the right to work in the UK.
Discrepancies over employment details
Home Office immigration officers inspected the club in May last year and were given false personal details by the unnamed staff member. She later stated she had been employed by the club for around a year as a chef, working three hours a day, once or twice a week. Mr Idahor, who has run the venue since 2014, contradicted this, later telling officers the woman had worked for him for around two months doing small jobs on an irregular basis. He also told officers he had seen a page from her passport but was unaware she had no right to work in the UK. Mr Idahor said he put the club into liquidation last September because he was unable to pay the fine or a second £14,000 demand from magistrates for breaching hygiene standards in 2022.
