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Licensing - getting the facts straight

My old debating-sparring-partner from Oxford, Michael Gove, said an hour ago on TODAY that local authorities need new powers in order to be able to act firmly on licensing matters, so that local people can get pubs regulated or closed down if they (the pubs) are too noisy, etc. . This is not true. The powers that the licensing act passed by this government has given us in local authorities in order for us to be able to do this are very extensive; and they have already been used on several occasions in Norfolk.
It appears that Michael has not been able to come up with a good example of how his 'big society' would actually make a difference.

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