Handing out flyers without a licence could be made illegal in parts of a city centre.

Brighton and Hove City Council plans to clamp down on the distribution of flyers, stickers and leaflets in a bid to cut litter.

But some in the club and music industry believe the move will kill off up-and-coming musicians and affect the vibrancy of the city.

Under new powers in the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act, fines of £75, which could rise to £2,500 for persistent offenders, will be handed out.

The proposals, to be considered by the council's environment committee on Thursday, would see a ban in the North Laine, The Lanes, North Street, West Street, Western Road, Queen's Road, St James's Street and the seafront from Dukes Mound to the peace statue in Hove.

Those issued with a licence for the areas would be responsible for clearing up discarded flyers.

Anyone handing out leaflets would have to wear an identification badge issued by the council.

Licences would cost £100 for a year and £50 for a one-off event, with additional badges costing £25 each.

Distributing leaflets between 6pm and 8am would cost more to cover the unsociable hours enforcement officers would be required to work.

Charities, religious and political organisations, community groups and schools would be exempt but would have to agree to clear up.

The council has received positive feedback about the proposal from businesses and the promotion industry.

Councillor Geoffrey Theobald said: "We recognise handing out leaflets and flyers can be an effective form of advertising for many businesses.

"We are keen to work with distributors and promoters but we must tackle the problem of litter.

"Flyering can create a real eyesore.

"The council is committed to improving the appearance of the city's streets."

Darren Kis, director of flyer firm SWAT Marketing, said: "Randomly targeted flyers, which are distributed by hand and dropped soon afterwards, have always been an issue.

"There have also been unsightly problems with posters plastered all over shops, empty premises, bins, benches and on the pavement.

"With the council enforcement officers stepping up their activities, promoters will find it's a false economy to distribute flyers and posters illegally in this way."

The scheme is believed to be a first in Sussex but similar bans are in force in other cities across Britain, such as Leeds and Nottingham.

Rob Gray, head of Don't Panic, which distributes flyers for many of the city's nightclubs, believes making flyer distributors act responsibly is a good idea but the council's policy is simply a quick-fix solution.

He said: "It will affect the vibrancy of the music scene.

"We will be able to work this into our business plan but it will cut off avenues for young people to come through.

"It may also make the music scene elitist.

"We do provide flyers and we must be socially responsible but it would be nice to see the council tackle the entire problem, including people who drop the flyers, and not just go for a quick fix."

Don't Panic has a policy of clearing up and handing flyers only to interested people.

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