Clause 14 - Procedure for designation of zones
Violent Crime Reduction Bill
1:45 pm
Lynne Featherstone (Shadow Minister, Home Affairs; Hornsey and Wood Green, Liberal Democrat)
With amendment No. 142, we propose to remove subsection (3) of the clause, which allows a local authority to vary or extend an alcohol disorder zone. The measure means that premises might find themselves in a zone for which they have had no opportunity to join in the improvement or form part of the action plan, which they would have had if they had been in the original zone. It goes against the principles of natural justice that a zone might be extended to include an establishment that does not then have rights to make proposals for reformation and on how to improve its character and behaviour. Theoretically, a local authority could extend a zone to the edge of town. There are no limitations on that. It seems patently unfair that establishments included in that way should not have the same rights as those in the original zone.
Amendment No. 144 is a probing amendment to find out how the Government intend to ensure that areas are not condemned to being alcohol disorder zones for the rest of their natural lives, albeit that a review is mentioned and the Minister has gone some way towards explaining what the content might be. The amendment would effectively introduce a sunset clause. If ADZs are a last resort to combat alcohol-related nuisance, they should have a set life span, otherwise a local authority that is troubled with such disorder might have little incentive to lift the designation of such a zone. The compulsory charging stage of an ADZ should not be seen as an ongoing revenue source for subsidising the police and the local authority. Local businesses are genuinely concerned that that might be a perverse incentive. Despite the review process, it might benefit a local authority not to find in favour of terminating an alcohol disorder zone even though the situation is under control and things are working well. What provisions are there to compel local authorities to end an alcohol disorder zone?