Lords committee slates plan for ADZs

The House of Lords Select Committee is the latest group to attack plans for alcohol disorder zones (ADZs).

In a new report, the committee said ADZs are a "bureaucratic system" that is not required.

ADZs will allow councils and police to force licensed premises in a designated area to pay a levy.

The committee said it was "left with an impression of a rather bureaucratic system and without a clear idea of how it fits in with the other items in the local authorities' tool kit for combating alcohol-fuelled disorder".

It added: "We are not clear why this policy was required in addition to voluntary measures such as business improvement districts, or enforcement action such as suspending the licences of delinquent bars, or charging delinquent individuals under existing legislation.

"The policy is optional, but given its complexity, we wonder how many local authorities will actually take it up."

Meanwhile, it seems un-likely that councils will be able to push for ADZs from this month as planned.

A Home Office spokesman said: "Revised regulations [on ADZs] were laid before Parliament on 8 January 2008.

"The revisions were made to take into account technical legal points made by the House authorities. No dates have been set for discussion of these regulations. As with all affirmative statutory instruments, the timescales are subject to the Parliamentary timetable and procedures.

"ADZs are designed to provide a short period of targeted activity in a very small number of areas to clean up alcohol-related problems blighting the lives of local residents.

"They are just one of a range of tools and powers which we have given to police and local authorities in order to clamp down on alcohol-related violence and antisocial behaviour and its causes. They are a measure of last resort."