By-laws on public consumption of alcohol on agenda

ENACTING BY-LAWS A PRIORITY FOR COUNCILLORS

AT the December meeting of Gorey Kilmuckridge Municipal District, discussions began with the progress of the county-wide by-law to ban the public consumption of alcohol or intoxicating substances.

Councillors agreed that getting this by-law enacted needed to be a priority for 2020 and so put in place sooner rather than later.

Cllr Diarmuid Devereux spoke about the community in Courtown wanting this pursed, while Leas Cathoirleach Joe Sullivan who chaired the meeting said that councillors needed to ‘drive the agenda’ to guarantee the by-laws are put in place.

‘We need to get our house in order and prioritise this for 2020 in terms of getting these by-laws in-acted,’ said Cllr Sullivan.

Cllr Anthony Donohoe highlighted how a similar by-law is in place in Kilkenny, and suggested that Wexford County Council copy this for themselves.

‘I don’t know what the delay is and it has been very successful in Kilkenny. What is the next step?’

Cllr Pip Breen said that there is an ongoing problem of public drinking on Gorey’s Main street and that those doing this are hassling people regularly.

District Manager Michael Drea said that there had been a lot of movement on these by-laws with gardaí.

‘I totally agree that they have to be in place before the peak season. The by-laws have been drafted, along the lines of those in Kilkenny.

‘Gardaí were asked to come back with comments, and they requested the ability to ask for a name and address which wasn’t in the original by-law. They need that for the laws to be enforceable and that amendment is being incorporated.

‘We are very confident that they will go before the next JPC meeting in the new year,’ he said.

Cllr Willie Kavanagh was told that publicans with benches outside their pub for the summer months would be exempt from the by-laws once they are licensed.