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Licensees favoured
• THE letters from Lib Dem councillors were perfect examples of how they think everything is always someone else’s fault (Our hands were tied, July 11).
I would be the last person to claim the Licensing Act 2003 and the Gambling Act 2005 are perfect. They retain the balance in favour of the licensee that the old law used to have but do give the community two new chances to be involved.
First, they took licensing away from magistrates and gave the powers to the local council and, second, they require councils to listen to the comments of residents, in writing or in person, when deciding applications.
Councils also have to prepare statements of policy under the acts and to have regard to these statements when deciding applications. Islington’s licensing policy and gambling policy are both too weak and lean in favour of the applicants.
The licensing policy is better than it was but no thanks to the Lib Dems. Last November my Labour colleagues and I proposed some strengthening of the policy which we thought would be uncontroversial. Not so, Lib Dem councillors George Allan, Stefan Kasprzyk and Marisha Ray all opposed the changes and it was only thanks to the votes of Lib Dem backbenchers we got them through.
Cllr Barry Edwards
Labour, Holloway ward
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