A COUNCIL chief has called on the Government to lay down the ground rules on new licensing laws, amid fears that 24-hour opening could fuel binge drinking.

City of York Council's deputy leader, Andrew Waller, said the Government needed to clarify changes to the Licensing Act so York residents knew what was coming.

Coun Waller said: "It is very frustrating that even at this stage we cannot let residents know how they are going to be able to object to the changed legislation.

"It is alarming that the presumption is in favour of granting a licence or a change to a licence.

"The regime was supposed to have come in at the beginning of May, yet we are still waiting for the final details."

Coun Waller said the Department of Trade and Industry wanted 24-hour drinking.

But in his opinion, with a lot of people living in York city centre, that was not what local people wanted.

He said: "There has got to be some quiet time when people can get some rest - introducing 24-hour drinking would do away with that.

"I think the priority is to civilise the city late at night, so people feel comfortable being out."

Coun Waller said York's binge drinking problems are not as bad as those of some larger cities, but they did exist and often led to violent incidents.

The secretary of York Licensed Victualler's Association, Alan Rowley, who was a landlord for 22 years, said: "It is the discounting of drinks that is the problem of binge drinking. Drink is just so cheap and so available.

A public meeting to discuss the new Licensing Act will be held in the Guildhall in early September.

Updated: 09:32 Saturday, July 10, 2004