‘Yobs’ should lose driving licenses, says Howard
Courts should have the right to deny driving licences to teenage hooligans to punish their anti-social behaviour, Conservative leader Michael Howard said today.
He also called for families who are repeatedly guilty of anti-social behaviour to be denied housing benefit.
Speaking in London, Mr Howard said most families accepted the need to “play by the rules.
“But there is a very small minority of families who don’t: families where parents don’t take responsibility for their children; families whose yobbish behaviour literally ruins local communities; families who seem to think they are above the law.
“In too many communities, this tiny minority is making the majority’s life a misery.
“It’s time to hold these parents to account and get their children to behave properly.”
Currently, the only ‘real’ punishment for breach of an anti-social behaviour order was prison, but that was not right for many youngsters, the Conservative leader said.
Courts already had the power to suspend the driving license of those with criminal convictions, and a Conservative government would give the courts the additional power to delay the right to a driving license for anyone who did not yet hold one.
“Youngsters will know that if they don’t behave, they won’t drive. After all, a car is one of the biggest status symbols a youngster can have.”
Conservatives would take action on the “tiny minority” of parents who refused to keep their children under control, introducing supervision orders for parents whose children persistently breached ASBOs.
They would also give local authorities the power to withhold housing benefit from families whose immediate members are convicted three or more times of anti-social behaviour.
“This is tough I know,” Mr Howard said, ‘but we’ve got to take a stand.”
