Bonfire of the bye-laws is sought by councillor
18:08, 01 February 2011
If you are driving around Queenborough and using your vehicle’s rear lights – you could be risking a £5 fine.
Under a 99-year-old bye-law – superseded by modern legislation – rear lighting or reflectors are banned on vehicles and trailers.
The regulation has been highlighted by a borough councillor who is campaigning to get obsolete laws revoked.
Tory Gareth Randall aims to get five such rules scrapped by Swale council.
The Queenborough law was passed by town councillors in 1912 under section 23 of the Municipal Corporations Act 1882.
Anyone breaking it could be fined up to 40 shillings for the first offence and up to £5 for the second or subsequent conviction.
Cllr Randall, who represents Grove ward in Sittingbourne, plans to put forward a motion at the full council meeting on February 23.
The other bye-laws include 1959 parking restrictions on a street that no longer exists in Sittingbourne and safety regulations from 1908 affecting steam-powered fairground rides such as whirligigs (a sort of merry-go-round) or swings.
The other two refer to rules covering Hackney carriages dated 1948 and fines in old money for people’s behaviour at swimming baths dated 1959.
Cllr Randall is set to also request a working group of members and officers to review other obsolete bye-laws still officially in force. Minster Cliffs ward councillor Ken Pugh (Con) will second the motions.
If agreed, Swale council will have to make a request to Communities Secretary Eric Pickles to revoke them.
Cllr Randall said: “This is good news for people who want fewer laws and fewer regulations.
“I want this to be the start of a big cleanup here in Swale.
“I want to challenge bureaucracy and ask whether rules can be simplified or abolished altogether.
“Quite a few of these bye-laws have been superseded by national legislation or health and safety.
“People make laws when they are appropriate but to some extent, there’s a responsibility to clean them up once they cease to be appropriate.
“It could mean potentially less work if council officers had to look back and see what is in force.
“I hope people will see it is a positive thing.”
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