Gordon Birtwistle & Burnley Liberal Democrats

The call comes after a Boundary Street shop owner had his licence suspended for two weeks after being caught out profiting from illegal alcohol sales.

Lib Dem Coun Charlie Briggs, Burnley Council’s executive member for community safety, called the suspension “inadequate” and insisted that licensing powers were not being used in proportion to the damage caused.

Coun Briggs, who was recently elected as the Lib Dem group’s leader at County Hall, said, “Drunk children on the street are a very serious problem and I’m determined to stamp it out. On the one hand, most kids and parents behave responsibly. At the other extreme, some kids will get hold of alcohol no matter what, and sometimes it is supplied by their own parents.

“But in the middle are some kids we can get back on the straight and narrow. Every child saved is worth it in my mind.

“We have to take every chance we can to cut down the supply of alcohol. Inadequate penalties like this just don’t take account of the consequences for the kids themselves and for members of the public. Penalties should be proportionate to the offence, and right now, they’re not.”

Lib Dem Coun Bill Brindle, who sits on the Town Hall committee that sentences offending off-licences, agreed.

“As a committee, we have to give out fair penalties that reflect the harm done. I don’t think we’ve been doing that recently and we will have to get tougher.

“I want the Police to change their policy of waiting for three failed tests before bringing cases to the committee. If someone breaks the law once, that should be enough. But communities who are fed up of this problem don’t have to wait for the police to take action. Any member of the public can ask us to review a licence, and I’m asking community groups to bring problem off-licences to our attention.”

The Happy Shopper off-licence on Briercliffe Rd was due to have its licence reviewed this Thursday [18th June], and both the Melville Street Spar shop and the Focus Off Licence on Briercliffe Road were to be reviewed on Tuesday, 23rd June 2009.

Queensgate ward councillor Darren Reynolds, whose area has seen disturbances caused by alcohol abuse in recent months, defended suggestions the Lib Dems were acting illiberally and against party policy.

Coun Reynolds said, “Four off-licences in or adjacent to my ward have been caught out in two months. Children are being abused by these retailers and the children’s lives are slowly going down the pan.

“Liberalism means letting people carry on their business free from official interference so long as they’re not doing any harm. The harm caused to these children, their families and their communities outweighs any right to trade freely. What Charlie and Bill are seeking to do is entirely consistent with Liberal principles. If these off-licences can’t trade legally, they must be closed down.”

I passionately believe we were wrong to invade Iraq but I am second to none in my admiration for the bravery and dedication of our service men and women.

Everyone knows that the invasion of Iraq was the biggest foreign policy mistake this country has made in generations; the single most controversial decision taken by government since Suez.

So Mr Speaker, I am staggered that the Prime Minister is today seeking to compound that error, fatal for so many of Britain’s sons and daughters, by covering up the path that led to it.

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