Lords back licensees in boozy disorder debate

Hosts must be given enough time to help cut alcohol-related disorder in their area before they are forced to pay to clear up problems.

That is the view of 135 Lords who want to ensure councils do not jump the gun and impose alcohol disorder zones (ADZs) before the trade can act.

Conservative peer Baroness Anelay called for the move in an amendment to the Violent Crime Reduction Bill during the Bill's committee stage in the House of Lords.

Under the Bill as it stands, councils can impose an ADZ during the eight-week period after an "action plan" on reducing disorder has been agreed with licensees. Councils can do this if they think the plan will not be implemented.

Under Anelay's amendment, the council may not designate an ADZ if the action plan, "or the majority of the actions", has been put into effect.

"My amendment would ensure that a local authority cannot act in a pre-emptive way," Anelay told the Lords.

"We would argue an action plan should be allowed time to work and for its effectiveness to be monitored and assessed."

The amendment was backed by 135 peers - more than half those present.

Speaking for the Government, Lord Bassam of Brighton said: "I cannot see there would be a case in which a local authority would wish to move to designate an ADZ when all the steps in the action plan were in the process of being carried out."

Liberal Democrat peer Lord Thomas of Gresford put forward amendments to ensure councils cannot change the boundaries of an ADZ without proper consultation.

He also called for time limits for ADZs.

Lord Thomas expressed fears that councils could "continue to collect money from the licensed premises for the policing of the town."

He added: "We believe that's undesirable and a term should be put into the legislation."

In response to concerns that some regions could be dragged into an ADZ unfairly, Lord Bassam vowed that they would be only in "very tightly-drawn areas".

The Lords will now produce a report on the Bill, which will be debated by MPs at a later date.