Council / Consultation set to get underway on Lerwick alcohol byelaw
A CONSULTATION on the Lerwick alcohol byelaw is expected to get underway on Friday.
It is seen as an opportunity for Shetland Islands Council (SIC) to gather the public’s views on matters such as whether the byelaw should be expanded to include a wider geographical area, or whether the offence itself should be revised.
The byelaw prohibits drinking alcohol in public in Lerwick, and it came into force in 2007. There are exemptions for Hogmanay and Up Helly Aa.
The consultation findings will be reported back to councillors as part of a report setting out recommended next steps.
It comes after Lerwick councillor Neil Pearson successfully proposed a motion among elected members last year on reviewing the byelaw.
He said at the time that he was keen to ensure it is still relevant to meet the needs of the community.
“The particular area I have an interest in is protecting our youth from harm and I am simply asking the question, can we be doing more by means of updating our byelaw to enable this,” he added.
SIC legal chief Jan Riise told a meeting of Shetland’s community safety and resilience board on Wednesday that it will be a “wide ranging” review.
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