SIR – Coun Cooke feels that it is unfair that pubs should bear some of the cost for the binge drinking and anti-social behaviour by their customers (T&A, April 13). By implication, he therefore thinks it is fair that council tax payers should foot the bill for a problem that blights the lives of many people in Wibsey and elsewhere and is preventable Many well-run pubs and clubs work hard to protect their neighbours and communities from drink-related problems by preventing drinks being taken from the pub and trying to reduce rowdy behaviour – but we all know of pubs that do not act so responsibly.

We need to have a stick as well as a carrot to encourage them to put their house in order. The proposals from the Local Government Association go some way to addressing this.

I would suggest that any costs and sanctions should not just fall upon the licensee, but also upon the ultimate owner of the pub to ensure that they take a greater interest in how their business is run and the effects that it has on the local community. Too often the owners are distant and disinterested and hide behind the landlord to avoid their responsibilities.

There needs to be discussion with the industry, but residents in parts of Bradford have suffered long enough and will, I am sure, welcome the LGA proposals.

Coun David Green (Labour, Wibsey Ward), City Hall, Bradford