Give councils more power to tackle drink problems

10th August 2004 - Immediate Release

Councils should be given greater powers - and more resources - to control the proliferation of bars in their areas under planned 24-hour licensing laws.

That?s the warning note sounded today by Alcohol Concern as the charity unveils a new toolkit - designed to help councils produce alcohol strategies in partnership with agencies such as health authorities, the police and transport companies.

The toolkit - which is available on the website www.localalcoholstrategies.org.uk - enables councils to get to grips with the havoc wrought by binge-drinking. Recent government crime statistics revealed that around half of all violent crimes, and 70% of peak-time A&E cases, were linked with drunkenness.

The toolkit is divided into nine sections. Community safety, licensing, regeneration, housing and homelessness are among the issues covered. Other topics tackled are health, treatment, workplace, workforce development and children and young people. Each section has advice on achievable objectives and targets as well as information about key players and stakeholders.

?Just go to any of our major town and city centres, any weekend, and it?s hard not to reach the conclusion that binge-drinking is having a devastating impact on many local communities,? explained Alcohol Concern?s Acting Chief Executive, Richard Phillips. ?That?s because the battle to hold back the tide of bars is being lost in many areas,? he added.

?Local authorities are on the front line of this battle, but they?re not being given the teeth or resources under new licensing guidelines to get to grips with the problem. For example, we would like to see them encouraged to use planning powers to control the growth of bars in given places - not just to take individual applications on their merits.?

He continued: ?In the meantime, we very much hope that councils will find our toolkit to be an important addition to their armouries. There?s a lot of good practice out their which we hope the toolkit will help to spread across the country.?

The toolkit has been produced by Alcohol Concern and the London Drug and Alcohol Network, with the help of funding from Comic Relief.

For more information, contact Juliette Hough at Alcohol Concern on 020 7928 7377.
ends

Press contact: Anne Jenkins - 020 7928 7377

Date: 10 August 2004