A fund to support local action against alcohol harms has been announced by Baroness Newlove, the government's Champion for Active, Safer Communities. A report which captures progress on innovative projects to make communities safer was also released.
The £1m Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) fund will be available to Local Authorities to spend over a 2 year period. It will be spread between 10 communities, each receiving £50K. Commitment to collaborative working by local agencies and residents will be integral to receiving the funding. The DCLG report, Building Safe, Active Communities: strong foundations by local people sets out tackling alcohol harms as one of Baroness Newlove's key priorities.
The report highlights key issues which need to be addressed in the forthcoming alcohol strategy. In particular it highlights the need to reduce alcohol-related harms in young people including: setting good parental examples, encouraging young people to take responsibility for their own behaviour, mentoring, and giving young people and residents a say in how drinking problems in their locality can be tackled.
It builds on the "grass roots" approach, in which action is taken as a result of active collaboration between local residents, the Police, Local Authority, Health and local businesses. The report cites good practice examples, such as the Newquay Safe Partnership, which saw joined up action to reduce the number of fake IDs and proxy buying lead to a 30% reduction in reported anti social behaviour incidents.
The report also call for further action on the part of the drinks industry, and evidences the decision by Heineken to stop producing cheap ciders as an example of corporate social responsibility.
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