A FOOTSCRAY trader who tore up his liquor licence in a bid to tackle the area’s problem drinking has been booted from a forum aimed at promoting “best practices” in the suburb.
Cheaper Buy Miles owner Grant Miles said he took the costly stand last month after seeing the damage alcohol was doing to the community.
The move was applauded by Maribyrnong police, but Mr Miles was accused by mayor John Cumming of a publicity stunt to support his tilt at council in the October elections.
Mr Miles, president of the Footscray Traders Association, said he was upset and angered by being blocked from attending Maribyrnong Council’s quarterly Liquor Accord meeting earlier this month.
“I’ve been involved in this since it began,” he said. “Nothing secret is discussed. It’s a chance to talk about ways to reduce alcohol abuse in Footscray; it’s obviously a problem. I would have thought we should all be working together.”
Mr Miles sold $80,000 worth of alcohol, about 10per cent of his revenue, in the past financial year.
He said letters, emails and phone calls from residents since he returned his liquor licence to the Department of Justice had been overwhelmingly positive and he hoped other businesses would be spurred to help reduce problem drinking. “The only negative response to my initiative has been from Maribyrnong Council, from which the reaction has been what I can only describe as ‘bizarre’.”
Mr Miles believed politics was behind the decision to bar him from the meeting as previous meetings had been attended by non-liquor
licenceholders.
A Maribyrnong Council spokeswoman said all licensees holding packaged and restaurant licences were invited to the meeting.
“City of Maribyrnong Liquor Accord meetings are in place for liquor licensees only.
“Mr Miles was previously part of the City of Maribyrnong Liquor Accord in his capacity as a liquor licensee, not as president of the Footscray Traders Association. However, Mr Miles, along with any member of the community, can raise questions about liquor licensing to council at any time,” the spokeswoman said.
She said the operators of Footscray IGA had been included in past meetings as they were in the process of applying for their liquor licence and their planning permit had already been approved.
