On Friday 9th November, Bob Neill was in Westminster to support the Scrap Metal Theft Bill through its final stages in the House of Commons.
The Bill will replace out-of-date legislation and bring forward a new regulatory regime for scrap metal dealing and vehicle dismantling industries. Key features of the Bill include giving local authorities the power to revoke and vary scrap metal dealer licences, requiring sellers of metal to provide personal identification at the point of sale, re-enacting and extending the cash payments ban legislated for in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012, and giving the police and local authorities new powers to enter and inspect sites.
Speaking at the debate, Bob welcomed several of the Government’s refinements to the Bill, which would make the new enforcement regime easier for local authorities to administer and operate effectively on behalf of their council tax payers.
Bob Neill is hopeful that the Bill will have a swift passage through the House of Lords and get into the Statute Book as soon as possible:
“This will be an incredibly important piece of legislation that will give our council and our local police force the tools they need to close down rogue metal traders and dissuade criminals from stealing and laundering metal.
“Our Borough has been victim to some particularly bad cases of metal theft – including the scandalous desecration of the Penge war memorial – but scrap yards will soon be held to account through this comprehensive licensing regime.”