Cheshire & Warrington Health and Wellbeing Commission and the Liverpool City Region Safer Healthier Communities Board welcome this week’s Home Office proposals to introduce a minimum unit price for alcohol, however there is still commitment in Cheshire & Merseyside to work towards a minimum unit price of 50p.
In response to the Government proposals, Cllr Andrew Knowles, Chair of the Cheshire & Warrington Health & Wellbeing Commission and Cheshire East’s Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing said: “We see this as a positive step forward in tackling the availability of cheap alcohol but we would still call for a minimum unit price of 50p because the majority of alcoholic drinks are already priced above the levels ministers are proposing. We will continue to explore the possibility of a local bylaw as the evidence shows a minimum unit price of 50p is the most effective way to reduce deaths, chronic illness and crime due to over-consumption of alcohol”
A recent study by Sheffield University has shown that a nationwide minimum of 50p per unit of alcohol would prevent 98,000 alcohol related hospital admissions and 46,000 alcohol related crimes*.
Julie Webster, Lead Director of Public Health for Alcohol from Cheshire & Merseyside Public Health Network (ChaMPs) states “In Cheshire & Merseyside, applying a 50p per unit of alcohol would have a greater impact on heavy and younger drinkers as these are the groups who traditionally buy cheap alcohol. A minimum unit price of 50p could reduce hospital admissions in Cheshire & Merseyside by 7,000 resulting in savings of around £2million.”
Also in support of a minimum unit price of 50p, Charlie Barker, Lead Officer for the Liverpool City Region Safer Healthier Communities Board said “45% of all violent crime is alcohol related**, we cannot continue with the high levels of alcohol harm in our communities and we are working with colleagues in the North West to take action to reduce it.”
Cheshire & Warrington Health and Wellbeing Commission and the Liverpool City Region Safer Healthier Communities Board have agreed to establish a joint working group, with colleagues from Manchester, to explore the issues around alcohol related harm including minimum unit pricing for alcohol.
*Sheffield University ScHARR study, 2008
**Crime in England & Wales 2007/2008, findings from British Crime Survey and Police recorded crime, July 2008
No comments:
Post a Comment