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London Local Authorities Bill [HL]

moved Amendment No. 24: "24: Page 35, line 33, leave out subsection (2)" The noble Lord said: My Lords, with this amendment I will discuss Amendments Nos. 25, 27 and 43. The Bill contains a large number of clauses that amend the existing street trading licensing regimes in all the London boroughs, excluding the City. One of the proposed amendments was to alter an exemption that is enjoyed by news vendors who sell their newspapers on the street, provided that the news-stand or cubicle that they use does not exceed a certain size. These are the sort of booths that we all find in the street and from which people sell papers such as the Evening Standard. When I was a young man, there were three papers: the Star, the Evening News and the Evening Standard. Now, there is only one such paper that you pay for. I should emphasise that the exemption does not have anything to do with those who distribute free newspapers in the street, of whom there are now very large numbers. That activity is the subject of other private legislation in London, which has now been taken up by the Government nationwide under the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act. The Bill as it stands would remove the exemption for news vendors in cases where they were located within a certain distance of London Underground or mainline railway stations. I understand that, when the Bill was deposited, some London boroughs were of the view that they had no power to deal with these news vendors, even if there was a perception that they were causing a safety risk. On further reflection, and after some positive discussions with the representatives of Associated Newspapers, it has been decided that the provisions are not required at this time. These amendments remove them. I beg to move. On Question, amendment agreed to. Clause 49 [Transitional provisions]: