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Friday 11th November, 2005

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By JOEL TAYLOR

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Top Tory blasts booze ‘spin’

Senior Tory hits out at licensing regime

A SENIOR Conservative councillor has launched a stinging attack against his own council’s licensing regime.
Cllr Ian Wilder, the outspoken representative for the West End Ward, has accused his own licensing department of “spin” by giving the impression bars and clubs are under greater council control.
His comments come as residents of Mayfair are preparing to use a clause in the government’s controversial new Licensing Act to try and get their neighbourhood designated a “stress area”.
On November 28 residents are holding a ground-breaking meeting to galvanise support for the plan as they fear Mayfair could become swamped with clubs and late night bars.
Neighbouring Soho has been designated a “stress area” for several years meaning that no new venues can be given licences.
And residents’ believe that this has forced bar owners to find alternative sites, with Mayfair as a prime spot.
Now, they fear the situation could get even worse when the government’s controversial new Licensing Act comes into force later this month.
Ron Whelan, chairman of the Mayfair Action Group, which is hosting the meeting, said that the noise coming from bars and clubs was becoming intolerable.
He said: “It is not really pubs, but these late night bars. Obviously with the new licensing laws there has been a proliferation of applications for late licences
“It is because of the stress area in Soho there is a freeze on applications so it is all coming over here.”
And he accused the council of being unable to establish any control over the bars.
He said: “The council don’t seem to be able to cope, they have been absolutely useless, it beggars belief. So the idea is that if they won’t listen we should petition the council to be made a street area. We have a petition together and hopefully enough people will sign it.”
And their campaign has received support from Cllr Wilder, who has spent years campaigning against the problems of the late night bar trade in Soho.
He said: “As a result of the council’s decisions you would have the impression that there has been less licences, with less capacity and an earlier terminal hour.
“But there has actually been more. If you listen to the spin you would have thought we (the council) have done a fantastic job. In fact there has been a vast increase in hours.”
Cllr Audrey Lewis, Westminster’s cabinet member for community protection and head of licensing, said: “We have made very public our commitment that we would review the stress areas and we are in the process of developing that review.”

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