Night Liverpool £663 million cost of alcohol in the Merseyside Area

THE shocking statistic is contained in a report commissioned by local authorities in the north west and Drink Wise North West, which campaigns to reduce alcohol related harm.  It shows a shock result, revelling that crime, anti social behaviour and illness caused by drink in 2010/11 cost £450 per head of population in Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral; compared with an England average of £387.

The costs are calculated for providing NHS, police and social services to deal with alcohol related incidents, as well as the impact on workplace productivity.  Chair of Liverpool City Region Cabinet and newly elected Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson said:- "These are staggering figures and starkly illustrate the tremendous damage and cost to society that cheap alcohol is causing to our region. It is costing every single person in our area a huge amount of money to deal with; money that we could be spending on other priority services. This adds considerable weight to the City Region’s view that a minimum price per unit of alcohol should be introduced to tackle the problem of cheap booze. We need to tackle the ticking time bomb that is being caused by a situation whereby it is cheaper to buy a can of lager than a bottle of water. In Liverpool, I have set up a Health Commission chaired by Sir Ian Gilmore which will focus on this issue, as it is something that we simply must tackle."

In February, a report by the Liverpool City Region Poverty and Life Chances Commission chaired by Birkenhead MP Frank Field recommended the introduction of a minimum price of 50p per unit.  Dr Paula Grey, Director of Public Health at Liverpool Primary Care Trust (PCT), said:- "Reducing the harm caused by alcohol misuse is a key priority for us and we have been working hard to promote behaviour change. Last year we launched the latest Liverpool Alcohol Strategy, which sets out a 3 year approach to tackling this problem. We know that alcohol affects a range of different groups within our population, and we need to find ways of giving people the support that is most appropriate to their needs. The strategy outlines the best way to deliver services for patients and also supports Minimum Unit Pricing, which once implemented would have a positive effect on reducing alcohol harm. Alcohol harm is complex issue which won’t be solved in the short-term – it needs a sustained, partnership approach."

The new research was launched on Wednesday, 16 May 2012, at a national conference at Manchester Town Hall organised by Drink Wise North West. Leaders attending the conference where united and called on David Cameron to take urgent action to curb the impact of cheap alcohol.

Hazel Parsons, Director of Drink Wise North West, said:- "Many of the problems caused by alcohol arise because it is so cheap. You can buy a pack of beer in a supermarket for less than the price of a bottle of water. That’s why it is so important that the Government introduces a minimum unit price of 50p. Research shows that this is the best way of saving live, cutting crime and saving the public sector millions."

The costs per sector on Merseyside are:-

► NHS - £145.85 million

► Crime - £180.11 million

► Workforce productivity - £283.49 million

► Social services - £53.69 million

The full report can be found online at:- drinkwisenorthwest.org.

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