Bournemouth Conservatives welcome the Government's proposals for safer communities which will give new powers to the Council to help deal with alcohol related disorder. By working closely with the police there should be a real opportunity to promote safer communities by introducing Alcohol Disorder Zones in specific areas of the town where alcohol related disorder is a problem in need of urgent action.

The Violent Crime Reduction Bill does however raise concerns about how the new system of charging the operators of licensed premises will actually work. Conservative Leader, Cllr Stephen MacLoughlin commented, 'Key to its success will be whether the system enables the Council to cover the cost of implementation - an area where so many eyecatching Government initiatives have in the past ended up having to be paid for by the local council tax payer.'

The existing law on underage drinking also needs to be rigorously enforced and the small minority of rogue licensees brought to book in order to continue to send out a clear message that this will not be tolerated in Bournemouth.

At this week's meeting of Bournemouth Council, Conservative Cllr Stephen Chappell said, 'We have a real problem with underage drinking in Bournemouth. This is dealt with under the Act, so we must all work together across the political parties to tackle the issue.'

He continued, 'Apparently the Lib Dems have a party policy nationally which would lower the age at which children could buy alcohol from 18 to just 16. Because much of the new Act will deal with underage drinking, it is essential that the Council disassociates itself from this harmful and damaging aspect of Lib Dem licensing policy which runs counter to Bournemouth Council's stated objective to promote safer communities.'

For further details please contact:-

Cllr John Beesley
Bournemouth Conservatives
on Bournemouth Council

Tel. 01202 762403
Mobile 07860 391219
email john.beesley@bournemouth.gov.uk