Home Office outlines plan to consolidate ASB powers and overhaul Licensing Act

A review of existing anti-social behaviour powers and a shake-up of alcohol licensing form key parts of the Home Office’s draft structural reform plan, which was unveiled yesterday.

The Home Office said it would develop and consult on proposals to:

• Consolidate anti-social behaviour tools and powers “to reduce complexity and provide effective interventions for police, local authorities and social landlords”, and
• Overhaul the Licensing Act 2003 to “strengthen local authority and police powers to remove licenses from, or refuse to grant licenses to, any premises that are causing problems”.

Any changes would be incorporated in the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill, which is expected to become law by November 2011.

The Home Office said it would – working with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Treasury – develop options for alcohol taxation and pricing “to ensure it tackles binge drinking”. It also plans to work with other government departments to ban below-cost sale of alcohol.

The plan outlined the timetable for the move towards replacing police authorities with directly elected individuals, “who will be subject to strict checks and balances through locally elected representatives”. The first elections are expected to take place in May 2012.

In a bid to protect people’s freedoms and civil liberties, the government plans to review counter-terrorism legislation and the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act.

In addition, it will implement a Freedom Bill which will outlaw finger-printing of children at school without parental permission, and further regulate the use of CCTV and Automatic Number Plate Regulation.

Other measures in the plan include: ensuring hospitals share non-confidential information with the police on knife and gun crime and other serious violence; improving the recording of hate crime; developing a comprehensive approach to drug misuse; freeing up police time by cutting back on the inspection and targets regime; and scrapping ID cards.

Home Secretary Theresa May said: "The draft plan sets out timings for our key policies, and includes milestones to which the public can hold us accountable. This is part of our commitment to transparent government. We are determined to make accountability democratic, not bureaucratic, and this document is one of the ways we plan to open up government."