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The Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesperson has branded government proposals for on-the-spot fines for children acting antisocially as “a nonsense system”, writes Derren Hayes.

Simon Hughes, who is also the Liberal Democrat candidate for London mayor, said he was opposed to fixed penalty notices for young people aged 16 and 17 and powers to extend them to children as young as 10.

He criticised the government for rolling out the plans before pilot studies had been completed and their results evaluated, and said that parents would end up paying the bill when young people are fined.

Speaking at a fringe meeting at the Local Government Association annual conference in Harrogate, Hughes outlined Liberal Democrat plans to take a different approach to antisocial behaviour, crime and punishment.

He said Labour had introduced 661 new offences in six years and called for a reduction in the use of the law to punish minor offences and for a greater focus on rehabilitation services.

“We need to get the message out that it is community service that is hard and not prison,” he explained. “They (those undertaking community service) should be seen as part of the local authority workforce so that we say ‘you have been naughty girls and boys but you have done this job well’.”

He also raised concerns about plans in the Antisocial Behaviour Bill for cutting housing benefit for those involved in antisocial behaviour. He called for greater use of acceptable behaviour contracts, probationary tenancies and good citizen training. He also welcomed moves by some councils to develope 24-hour antisocial behaviour hotlines.