Hearing to decide whether Wolverhampton club that hired illegal worker can re-open

A council hearing will decide whether a club that was forced to close down after employing an illegal worker will be allowed to re-open.

Calif Bar in Stafford Street, Wolverhampton had its licence revoked by City of Wolverhampton Council in April over the employment of an illegal worker as a chef in 2025.

The council’s licensing subcommittee said owner Isi Lucky Idahor had shown a “total lack of compliance with rules and regulations” and believed he was unfit to run the venue when deciding to close the nightclub and restaurant.

Just weeks later, new applicant Lucky Iguodala then applied to re-open the Stafford Street club as Vivant Lounge with 11am to 5am opening hours proposed.

Since then, West Midlands Police has raised concerns about the new application and asked for the club’s closing time to be cut from 5am to 2am.

West Midlands Fire Service also objected saying the venue’s fire safety risk assessments were “not suitable or sufficient.”

City of Wolverhampton Council’s licensing subcommittee meets on July 29 to make a decision.

The venue sits within the council’s ‘cumulative impact zone’ due to higher crime and disorder rates and the density of pubs, clubs, late-night venues and takeaways in the city centre.

This means that new licence applications are subject to stricter conditions and the onus is put on new venues to prove their business will not add to existing issues.

Calif Bar was fined £45,000 last year after the Home Office’s immigration enforcement officers discovered Mr Idahor had employed a chef who had no right to work in the UK – which remains unpaid.

The woman, who was arrested by immigration officers following the inspection, had held a valid visiting visa from September 2007 to March 2008 but did not return when it expired and had never held the right to work in the UK.

Cllr Zee Russell, who chaired the licensing hearing on April 8, told Mr Idaho it appeared he had ‘no idea’ over the process to check if workers had the legal right to work in the UK.

Mr Idahor said he put the club into liquidation in September last year because he was unable to pay the £45,000 fine or a £14,000 fine from magistrates for breaching hygiene standards in 2022.

Home Office immigration officers had inspected the club in May last year only to be given false personal details by the unnamed member of staff who later said she had been employed by the club for around a year as a chef working three hours a day, once or twice a week.

However, Mr Idahor, who has run the city centre venue since 2014, contradicted this later telling officers that the woman had worked for him for around two months doing small jobs on an irregular basis.

He also told officers that he had seen a page from her passport but was unaware she had no right to work in the UK.

West Midlands Police had supported the review as well as the Home Office’s calls to revoke the licence.