Lister on Putney

24 hour drinking how will this affect you, and the battle against flytipping ........

It's hard to imagine a bigger misjudgement of public opinion than the Government's ill-fated plan to allow 24 hour drinking in pubs and bars.

Councils like Wandsworth warned right from the start that allowing bars to stay open all night could lead to binge drinking and create a nightmare in residential areas like Putney where people might never get a decent night's sleep.

Even now we are still waiting for the Government to come up with the final regulations for the new regime. Many councils are worried about the costs. In our case this could add as much as an extra £5 a head on council tax.

It's not just the costs of running the new system we will have to contend with - there will be a huge impact on policing and community safety costs.

The council's first licensing policy can be seen on our website. It tries to strike a balance between the demands of the industry for longer hours and the impact this might have on noise and anti social behavior.

We are passionate about protecting the quality of life for Wandsworth residents. Making the new arrangements work for all parties will be a tough call.

Also on the subject of anti social behaviour I can only applaud the public spirited actions of a Thamesfield couple who snapped a flytipper as he was about to dump a boot-load of black sacks full of rubbish on the Lower Richmond Road.

The photograph of the offender's vehicle licence plate is now with our enforcement team who are following up the case.

We all need to work together if we are to keep our streets clean. Where the council gets evidence of deliberate dumping of rubbish - or of traders without a proper contract for waste disposal - we will always prosecute.

Edward Lister

elister@wandsworth.gov.uk

Edward Lister is the Leader of Wandsworth Council and a member for Putney's Thamesfield ward.