Hoteliers claim binge-drinking bylaw “doesn't go far enough”

PALMA
HOTELIERS operating on the Playa de Palma voiced concern yesterday over the fact that bylaws to be approved next week restricting the practice of street drinking parties do not go far enough in outlawing related advertising and promotion.

Jesus Sanchez, the President of the Playa de Palma Tourist Businesses Association said that the new ruling should be stricter and ban any material on sale which encourages participation in street drinking parties, known locally as the botellón.

Some supermarkets, Sanchez alleged, continue to sell packages of plastic cups, straws and drinks mixes which are in widespread use at such events.
Education Councillor, Cristina Ferrer, explained that she had tried to get just such a ban included in the new bylaw but legal services had not permitted it. She said that in the view of Palma City Council, and contrary to that of the hoteliers, the restrictions do indeed go far enough in achieving their objective because they stipulate that the law will not permit a breach of the peace.

However, said Ferrer, the City Council is to continue to look at ways of stopping the botellón and its related practices.

Opposition Partido Popular (PP) Councillor, Sandra Fernandez stressed that her party were committed to backing any legal changes to the new bylaw which would make it stricter in the future. She said that such commitment would include banning any promotional or advertising material.

Fernandez said that the PP would also have liked to have seen a clause in the ruling which held parents responsible for the damage to public property inflicted by their children and for the costs of cleaning up after the street parties were over.

Legal services had not, at this stage, she confirmed, permitted the right of local authorities to claim against partygoers' families.