Have a say on plan to curb street drinking in North East Lincolnshire

THERE are now only ten days left to have your say on the proposals for a borough-wide controlled drinking zone.

North East Lincolnshire Council launched a 12-week consultation on the issue in March, following concerns from elected members around the prevalence and visibility of drinking alcohol in the borough's public places.

Within the consultation, residents, licensees, business and community representatives are being asked to give their views on the motion which, if carried forward, will give the police and nominated council officers the power to control the consumption of alcohol across the borough. The order, called a DPPO (Designated Public Place Order), is not a total ban on drinking in public places, but makes it an offence to carry on drinking when asked to stop by a police or nominated officer. This power should only be used in circumstances where antisocial behaviour is occurring or likely to occur. The penalty for breaching the order is normally a fixed penalty ticket.

Spencer Hunt, service manager at safer communities, said: "All responses received will be considered during the decision-making process.

"There are now only a couple of weeks left of the consultation period, so we want to encourage interested parties to complete the survey online, where they can also find more information about the proposal, what a DPPO means for North East Lincolnshire and some frequently asked questions.

"Our survey has been designed to enable respondents to tell us their concerns, the places where alcohol-related antisocial behaviour is an issue and how often the problem occurs. Antisocial behaviour and alcohol-related problems are key issues for us, and tackling them through our partnership with Humberside Police and health colleagues is a priority for us all this year."

Supt Dave Hall from Humberside Police said: "Tackling the number of alcohol-related incidents in North East Lincolnshire is a priority for police, which has led to recent reductions in alcohol- related violence across the area.

"This has been achieved by working closely with our local authority and health counterparts as part of the Safer And Stronger Communities partnership and this work will continue in order to address what is an ongoing issue. Street drinking is just one element of our alcohol-based priorities, but it is one that can have a negative impact on both residential areas and local businesses.

"To that end, we are keen to see the results of the consultation as this will help us to understand the full nature of the problem across North East Lincolnshire, which in turn will help us to identify the most effective way of tackling it together in the future."

Humberside Police And Crime Commissioner Matthew Grove said: "I congratulate North East Lincolnshire Council on tackling an issue which is of concern both to residents and businesses in affected communities. I also welcome the consultation proposal as this is a problem that must involve residents in finding and shaping the right solution."

The consultation is available online at www.nelincs.gov.uk/DPPO

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