Agenda item

Sue Holden, Alcohol Strategy Manager with the Drug and Alcohol Action Team (DAAT), explained that the DAAT considered alcohol harm in the City and what could be done about this.  Sue Holden explained that:-

·           There was a high proportion of low risk drinkers in the City, but this led to a high risk of alcohol related harm;

·           Higher levels of drinking often were linked to higher levels of deprivation and crime;

·           A recent survey had shown that there were high levels of binge drinking in the City, especially as part of the night time economy.  A large number of these drinkers were men, although there were increasingly high levels of women drinking.  Binge drinking was considered to be the consumption of 6 units of alcohol or more in one session;

·           The DAAT worked to targets for the reduction of levels of drinking.  As a result, a strategy had been developed that focussed on community safety, treatment, intervention and issues for children and young people;

·           Work being done in the City centre included the issue of Fixed Penalty Notices to people who were drunk and disorderly;

·           When asked how much they drank, people tended to underestimate the amount.  However, Thurncourt Ward was quite high on the list of Wards where people admitted to drinking more; and

·           The DAAT did not want to stop people drinking, but to encourage them to consider the harm it could do and modify their actions accordingly.

Some present at the meeting felt that venues selling alcohol appeared to be only concerned about profits, so did not assess whether people entering had already had enough to drink.  It was noted that people running venues at which problems were experienced as a result of those attending drinking too much were expected to take responsibility for this, but it was recognised that many people drank before going out, so could already have had too much to drink before they entered a venue. 

Sergeant Danny Graham, Leicestershire Constabulary, advised that, although Leicester City centre was better than some, alcohol fuelled violence often happened.  He noted that it was a criminal offence to serve people when drunk, but he was not aware of any prosecutions for this.

The need to talk to young people outside the City Centre was discussed and Sue Holden explained that work in the City centre was only one element of the DAAT’s work.  For example, the team also carried out test purchases, so anyone with concerns about sales of alcohol from particular premises was welcome to pass the details on to the DAAT.

Members of the community expressed concern at the number of shops in the area selling alcohol, as this encouraged people to spend what were often limited resources on alcohol.  The Chair reminded the meeting that any concerns about a premises’ license to sell alcohol could be passed to the Police, so that the concerns could be looked in to.  Any such concerns could be reported by telephoning 0116 222 2222 and asking for the Licensing Section.