600 say street drinking must stop

The photo above was taken earlier this evening when I handed in petitions signed by over 600 Roehampton and Putney people demanding an Alcohol Exclusion Zone in Roehampton.

Councillors Rex Osborn (left) and Billi Randall will have the job of pushing the council to get serious about this issue as the petition now has to be acknowledged and responded to by the Conservative council.

This has been a huge response and the idea clearly commands widespread support, as witenssed by the fact that the majority of signatures came not from the campaign cards I sent out but from those who signed the petitions in local shops including the Right Plaice chip shop and the post office in Danebury Avenue.

The other thing I know Roehampton residents want to tell the council is: get on with it - this has been a problem for years and the Conservative council has done nothing whatsoever about it.

Even now, instead of doing what residents want, Conservative councillors in Roehampton are talking about getting the street drinkers to sign pieces of paper promising to turn over a new leaf.

This isn't good enough: it won't solve the problem and it doesn't give the police the powers they need to improve Roehampton for good. Nothing less than a complete ban on street drinking in the Danebury Avenue area - which includes the village, the Petersfield Rise parade and the Portswood Place parade will do.

Roehampton residents have done their bit. Now it's time for the Conservative council - for once - to do right by Roehampton.