Health and charity bosses in Brighton and Hove call for minimum priced alcohol (From The Argus)
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Health and charity bosses in Brighton and Hove call for minimum priced alcohol
3:10pm Thursday 14th March 2013 in News By Tim Ridgway, Local government reporter
Andy Winter, chief executive of Brighton Housing Trust
Government plans to ditch plans for minimum alcohol pricing have been blasted by city chiefs.
Yesterday (March 13) reports suggested that minsters will not attempt to implement the Prime Minister’s plan for a 45p per unit minimum price on booze.
Health chiefs and charity bosses in Brighton and Hove criticised the move claiming, if implemented, it would save lives and reduce the bill to the taxpayer.
It comes as an investigation by Sussex Police revealed that cans of beer were being sold by newsagents at less than 14p a unit – three times less than the level put forward.
Andy Winter, chief executive of Brighton Housing Trust, which deals with a number of the city’s homeless, said: “There needs to be the political will to do something as radical, yet as obvious, as this.
“Some will say that by increasing alcohol prices, those least able to afford higher prices will be disproportionately disadvantaged.
“My view is that if higher prices saves lives it is something all reasonably minded people should support.”
Health chiefs said the cost of alcohol misuse is £107 million a year.
They added each week in the city there are typically two deaths associated with alcohol use and 98 alcohol-related inpatient admissions to hospital of Brighton and Hove residents.
Alcohol tax
Last year, bosses wrote to the Home Secretary urging for an “alcohol tax” on sales from off-licences, shops and supermarkets believing it will improve public health, lower crime and reduce the social costs on families.
Tom Scanlon, the city’s director of public health, said: “As a city that runs an array of initiatives recognised on the national stage as helping to manage the night-time economy and reduce the harm that excessive alcohol causes, we would urge the government to consider all serious ideas that might help combat the problem.
“We would also be disappointed if the government fails to adopt the advice of GPs and health experts who warn that problem drinking is a health crisis and adopting a minimum price would help curb the damage it causes.”
Licence bid
Later this month Brighton and Hove City Council will discuss an application from Sussex Police to strip the owners of Pop In Store in North Road, Brighton of its licence.
Evidence presented by Sussex Police shows that cans of super strength beer, with 9% alcohol content, were being sold for £1.50 each or four for £5 at the shop.
This is despite them being available at cash and carry outlets for £35.99 plus vat – the equivalent of £1.80 a can.
Last night, The Home Office said it had not made a formal decision on the 45p plans.
If introduced, a bottle of wine could not be sold for less than £4.22.
The department is also considering banning multi-buy promotions, such as two-for-the-price-of-one.
A spokesman for the Wine and Spirit Trade Association said: “Minimum unit pricing would penalise responsible drinkers and treat everyone who is looking for value in their shopping as a binge drinker.”
HOW WOULD IT AFFECT YOUR DRINK?
- In England and Wales the government consulted on a 45p minimum per unit.
- A bottle of own-brand gin with 37.5% alcohol content would go up from £6.95 to £11.85.
- A two-litre bottle of own-brand cider would more than triple in price from £1.20 to £3.75.
- The cost of a £12 bottle of whisky would rise to £12.60, while a bottle of cheap wine would go up from around £3.75 to £4.20.
- A four-pack of beer with more than 5% alcohol content would cost a minimum of about £3.95.
Your interview
Andy Winter answers readers' questions about alcohol pricing inside tomorrow's Argus (March 15)
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Comments(8)
s&k
says...
3:43pm Thu 14 Mar 13
men.
mimseycal
says...
3:51pm Thu 14 Mar 13
GIVE UP
says...
4:45pm Thu 14 Mar 13
Morpheus
says...
7:19pm Thu 14 Mar 13
dawind
says...
7:38pm Thu 14 Mar 13
Putting up the price will not deter middle class women (the most at risk group) from drinking too much. instead
increasing the unit price will result in poor people drinking illegal hooch, a far more dangerous activity.
When Organisations/Govern
ments try to manipulate societal intake of harmful intoxicants, by whatever means, then people find other intoxicants to escape the pathological aspects of that society.
Of course the long term solution is.....
Tallywhacker
says...
9:00am Fri 15 Mar 13
mimseycal says...
4:19pm Wed 13 Mar 13
Quite frankly I don't think you can build a case for minimum pricing having done anything to lower consumption in anything but the very shortest of terms. On the other hand it has increased the introduction of smuggled products, contraband products and adulterated products.
Thereby effectively increasing the cost to society overall.
You want to do something effective regarding alcohol abuse? Zero tolerance on all criminal/anti-social conduct that is alcohol fuelled. Clarify street drinking and ban it. Completely! No, mitigating, no using the officers' discretion, no ah well, it wasn't quite within the banned area. Ban it on every street, bus, station or shopping centre ... everywhere.
Effective and accessible alcoholism programmes and where parents are in receipt of benefits and acknowledged problem drinkers, ensure that they have a supervisor during their shopping trips to make sure that decent food for the kids is the priority item in the trolley.
Don't fine outlets that sell to under age drinkers. Close them down! No ifs ands or buts! Put the sellers of alcohol to under age children on a central register thereby ensuring they will never be able to apply for another licence. No excuses accepted such as it was my shop assistant and s/he has only been working here a couple of weeks. They hold the licence, they are responsible.
Make it a requirement that all purveyors of alcohol MUST produce some form of ID ... even those who are evidently over age.
Residents/tenants that cause mayhem due to over consumption of alcohol should be required to do community service ... repeat breaches, increase the hours. They breach often enough, they won't have time to imbibe as all their spare time will be taken up doing reparation in the community.
Drink drivers should be treated as we would treat anyone waving a loaded weapon around in a public space.
Oops sorry, it was a question you wanted. Okay my question is this. Can you prove that the highly inflated cost of tobacco and tobacco related products has indeed lowered the overall cost to society in treating tobacco related diseases. Is it not true that there has been a substantial increase in the smuggling of said products effectively increasing the cost to society with regards to tackling that. Not to forget the increase in adulterated tobacco products and the negative effect these have had.
Sarah Booker Lewis
says...
10:04am Fri 15 Mar 13
Tallywhacker wrote:On Wednesday The Argus published a very short piece inviting people to submit questions to Andy Winter after he expressed this view.
Isn't this the same story from yesterday? Oh well I'll paste the best response from there then.......
mimseycal says...
4:19pm Wed 13 Mar 13
Quite frankly I don't think you can build a case for minimum pricing having done anything to lower consumption in anything but the very shortest of terms. On the other hand it has increased the introduction of smuggled products, contraband products and adulterated products.
Thereby effectively increasing the cost to society overall.
You want to do something effective regarding alcohol abuse? Zero tolerance on all criminal/anti-social conduct that is alcohol fuelled. Clarify street drinking and ban it. Completely! No, mitigating, no using the officers' discretion, no ah well, it wasn't quite within the banned area. Ban it on every street, bus, station or shopping centre ... everywhere.
Effective and accessible alcoholism programmes and where parents are in receipt of benefits and acknowledged problem drinkers, ensure that they have a supervisor during their shopping trips to make sure that decent food for the kids is the priority item in the trolley.
Don't fine outlets that sell to under age drinkers. Close them down! No ifs ands or buts! Put the sellers of alcohol to under age children on a central register thereby ensuring they will never be able to apply for another licence. No excuses accepted such as it was my shop assistant and s/he has only been working here a couple of weeks. They hold the licence, they are responsible.
Make it a requirement that all purveyors of alcohol MUST produce some form of ID ... even those who are evidently over age.
Residents/tenants that cause mayhem due to over consumption of alcohol should be required to do community service ... repeat breaches, increase the hours. They breach often enough, they won't have time to imbibe as all their spare time will be taken up doing reparation in the community.
Drink drivers should be treated as we would treat anyone waving a loaded weapon around in a public space.
Oops sorry, it was a question you wanted. Okay my question is this. Can you prove that the highly inflated cost of tobacco and tobacco related products has indeed lowered the overall cost to society in treating tobacco related diseases. Is it not true that there has been a substantial increase in the smuggling of said products effectively increasing the cost to society with regards to tackling that. Not to forget the increase in adulterated tobacco products and the negative effect these have had.
This story is an in-depth look at his opinion ahead of the Your Interview feature.
pperrin says...
3:33pm Thu 14 Mar 13