MEASURES to end the problem of binge drinking in Swindon town centre will form part of the coalition Government’s first legislative programme, the Queen announced yesterday.

The Licensing Act 2003, which brought in 24-hour drinking but has been blamed for worsening booze-related anti-social behaviour, will be overhauled to give local authorities and the police “much stronger powers” to remove licences or refuse to grant them where premises are causing problems.

The new powers form part of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill, which would also ban the sale of alcohol below cost price and allow councils to charge more for late-night licences to pay for additional policing.

The same Bill includes plans to introduce directly elected police commissioners to replace local police authorities, a proposal which has dismayed leaders of rank and file officers in Wiltshire, who are understood to be concerned about the politicisation of policing.

Other Bills announced yesterday include a new right for all employees to request flexible working.

Currently such a right is limited mainly to parents of children aged 16 and under. An independent Commission will be set up to look at how to fund long-term social care.

A Decentralisation and Localism Bill will “devolve greater powers” to councils and neighbourhoods and, by scrapping regional spatial strategies and their controversial home building targets, will give communities more control over housing and planning decisions. Council-led Local Enterprise Partnerships will replace Regional Development Agencies to promote economic development.

The same Bill will also give residents the power to trigger local referendums on any issue where there is enough support, as well as the power to veto “excessive” council tax increases. A European Union Bill will ensure a referendum will be held before any proposed transfer of powers to the EU.

A range of political reforms has also been promised, including the introduction of fixed five-year Parliamentary terms, a referendum on changing the voting system used to elect MPs, and a new right for constituents to trigger a by-election where their MP is guilty of “serious wrongdoing”.

ID cards are to be scrapped, the scope of the DNA database restricted, the rights to non-violent protest “restored” and regulation of the use of CCTV tightened.

Justin Tomlinson, Conservative MP for North Swindon, said: “I was extremely proud to attend my first state opening, and the Queen’s Speech set out a clear and positive agenda for tackling the deficit.

“I’m delighted we are transferring powers from our remote Parliament back into local communities, and giving local residents a real say in how services are delivered and run.”