KEY POINTS:
The Manukau City Council wants the power to impose a "sinking lid" on liquor outlets.
Fresh from apparent success with an anti-graffiti bill which is expected to pass its final stage in Parliament tonight, new Mayor Len Brown has set his sights on the city's 270 businesses which sell alcohol - up from 44 in 1990.
He told a child abuse conference on Monday that the city had recently imposed a "sinking lid" on the number of poker machines, which are already subject to council controls, and it wanted the same controls on drink.
"We are also saying 'no' to more liquor licensing outlets," he said.
"We have a toothless liquor licensing framework that leaves very little opportunity for our communities to have a say in whether or not access to alcohol for our young people becomes more common."
He said Maori Party co-leader Pita Sharples had given "his assurance that we are going to change that law to enable our communities to reflect back to our young people that we don't want unbridled access to alcohol for young people".
Mr Brown spent three days in Wellington last week lobbying leaders of all political parties to support a bill being sponsored by Manurewa MP George Hawkins which would require social and economic impact reports for all applications for new liquor licences.
The bill would also allow community organisations such as schools, churches and early childhood centres to object to licence applications. The Sale of Liquor Act now allows objections only from affected individuals.
Mr Brown said Parliament treated liquor issues as "conscience votes", but the feedback from the MPs he met was "very positive".
Mr Hawkins said he drew up the bill after about 100 Clendon residents organised a street march last year to protest against the proliferation of liquor sales in local dairies and other outlets.
