Cox, who led Bolton Council between 2021 and 2023, said senior police officers told him staff and the public were regularly being injured in “vicious attacks in the area late at night”.
The matter was not doing the town any good whatsoever, he said, and backed the late night levy.
A GMP spokesman said there were “reoccurring problems with violence” which had “a significant impact on limited resources and the reputation of Bolton”.
The levy will be split between police and the council, which will get up to 30% of the fee to fund services connected to the night time economy.
The charge to businesses will vary from £299 for those with a rateable value of zero to £4,500 and £1,493 for premises with a rateable value in excess of £125,000.
Labour councillor Sue Haworth, who is behind the levy, said the late night economy could generate crime and people “with menace on the mind”.
She said Bolton was a university town so many places were open late and “some folk don’t turn out until 2.30am nowadays” .
“Pre-loading goes on and some come into the town centre having been at other venues,” she said.
“Other groups congregate nearby takeaways and there are flashpoints. This becomes hard and expensive to police.”
The levy is set to be introduced on 1 February 1 next year.
