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9th September 2011
Call for action on alcohol
Nick has backed a call for more action to deal with excessive alcohol consumption in Newcastle.
A motion put forward at a city council meeting called for the introduction of a minimum price for alcohol. Labour amended the motion, making it more comprehensive and calling for a wider range of measures to address the availability of alcohol. These include more powers for the council to refuse or withdraw licensing applications, following a report this week linking underage drinking with areas with a high density of licenced premises.
Nick said: "Figures show that alcohol is being sold for pocket money prices in Newcastle. Cider is available for 16p a unit, and cans of lager are on sale in some supermarkets for 28p each. Most pubs back the idea of a minimum price for alcohol, as it would only affect the loss-leading deals offered by some supermarkets and wouldn't have any impact on the price of a pint. It's a controversial step, but there's evidence that more and more people are "pre-loading" - downing cheap spirits at home before going out on the town. Minimum pricing would reduce this, and thereby reduce the overall figures for anti-social behaviour and hospital admissions associated with excessive drinking. "
"It's also important that the city council has more powers to curb licenced premises. At the moment, licensing laws are stacked in favour of the applicants and residents' views are often ignored. That balance should be redressed. As the Council will take on more powers around health in a year or so, it's also important that we're able to consider the public health consequences of licensing and use the impact on health as a reason for rejecting licence applications. "
"No-one is opposed to sensible drinking in moderation, but we've got to challenge the heavy drinking culture that is leading to an increase in liver diseases and blights many parts of Newcastle every weekend. "