Alcohol Policy UK

Relaxation of licensing hours for World Cup 2014 announced: a boost for pubs... but at what cost?

The government has announced its decision to relax licensing hours nationally during the FIFA World Cup 2014. The decision follows a recent consultation on whether the national order should be used, or whether to stick to requiring 'Temporary Event Notices' (TENs) authorised locally. 

The relaxation will grant the on trade an extra four hours, to a latest time of 1am to allow for any extra time and penalties during the matches. The response says this will also mean that customers are likely to leave premises gradually after the match, minimising any nuisance to the public. The Government believes that 1am is an acceptable cut off time and premises wishing to extend their hours beyond this could still apply do so using a TEN.

The Government says it believes that "England playing in a World Cup is an event of exceptional national significance", which allows the Secretary of State to relaxing licensing hours to mark an occasion of ‘exceptional international, national or local significance’. A total of 1,463 responses were received to the online consultation. This included 127 police responses, 136 from licensing authorities, 503 responses from members of the public, 605 from licensed trade and trade organisations, 11 from environmental health professionals and 75 other responses.

The Government response says:

"the BBPA estimates a potential sales increase of £20m... Pubs are responsibly managed environments and the BBPA, Local Government Association (LGA) and Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) have published guidance advising pubs on how to make sure match screenings are as enjoyable and safe as possible during the World Cup."

However points against a national relaxation were made by ACPO, Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs), the LGA, the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH), the National Organisation of Residents Associations (NORA), and the Alcohol Health Alliance (AHA). Reasons against included:

• Concerns about the increase in violence, domestic violence and anti-social behaviour associated with drinking and televised football matches and the link between licensed premises and football related incidents during the last World Cup.
• Local councils are best placed to make decisions about premises staying open late via the TEN system, which protects residents and only costs £21 per licensed premise. With a national relaxation, councils and the police would not know which premises intend to open later, making effective public safety planning much harder.
• A national relaxation would perpetuate the notion that football and drinking go hand in hand.
• Over 10% of on-trade premises are already licensed to sell alcohol until 1am or later.

A briefing from Alcohol Concern Cymru examines how alcohol consumption and reports of domestic abuse increase during sporting occasions. As for the impact of the decision, we'll just have to wait and see...

Events, Jobs, Courses and Studentships

Events & courses

The forthcoming New Directions in the Study of Alcohol Group 2014 conference takes place next month in Dundee, Scotland from 23rd April to 26th April. See here for the full conference programme. The event explores Scottish alcohol policy, minimum unit pricing and Scottish-based ABI (alcohol brief intervention) research, and more.. booking form here or see the website for more details.

An Alcohol Policy in Practice CPD course run by UKCTAS, the UK Centre for Tobacco and Alcohol Studies will take place in Edinburgh from 22nd to 25th September 2014. The course covers key issues for alcohol policy and practice led by some of the leading academics and policy-makers. Further info here including the flyer or programme.

An event exploring 'sales to drunken persons' will be hosted by the Alcohol Academy & Alcohol Research UK on the 16th June in London. Roles with a direct interest or knowledge of the issue can register interest.

Jobs

Alcohol Concern are seeking two positions: a press and digital media officer and a part time administrator. Applications by the 9th April.

Practitioner and other related jobs can be found on the DDN jobs page or here.

Studentships and other academic opportunities

Two fully funded PhD studentships are available with deadlines of 30th March:

• PhD studentship at Northumbria University (Newcastle upon Tyne, UK) looking at the role of social status and social satisfaction in university student is being offered. Details here.
• PhD studentship at Salford University, UK, looking at the workplace as a setting for testing the effectiveness of alcohol interventions. Details here.

Applications are invited for a one-day symposium for PhD students researching substance misuse, taking place on Monday 21st July 2014 - details here. It is being organised by Oxford Brookes University and the National Addiction Centre, King’s College London.

A free lunchtime seminar on Minimum Pricing by Dr Tim Stockwell takes place at the University of Stirling, Scotland on 12.30pm, Thursday 20th March 2014

No changes to 'personal licenses' system following consultation

The Home Office has announced it will not abolish the system of personal licenses following a consultation last year. Alcohol sales will therefore still need to be authorised by an accredited personal licence holder who has also undergone a criminal records check.

The Home Office had suggested as part of its consultation that the system is not targeted as "all premises, from the riskiest to the quietest, must comply with it", and abolishing it could save some businesses significant costs.

However the consultation responses largely disagreed; 72% of non-trade and 90% of trade responses did not think that the proposal would reduce burdens in terms of time and or money on business. Over 90% of all responses thought the proposal would also undermine the licensing objectives.

At the time of the consultation, Alcohol Research UK said it was concerned that the proposal would remove key safeguards. They said there was no evidence to suggest that abolishing statutory training or criminal record checks would have any significant benefits. The consultation however said it "has listened to the views received in response to the consultation and in discussion with partners has decided not to proceed".

In fact a number of responses suggested further strengthening of the existing system. The conclusion section of the document states:

During the consultation on deregulation and discussions with partners, a number of suggestions were made to further develop and tighten the existing system, rather than to deregulate it...The Government has no immediate plans to take these forward at this time. However, it will maintain an on-going, open dialogue with its partners and ensure that any proposed changes to alcohol licensing continue to strike a balance between removing unnecessary bureaucracy for responsible businesses but maintaining important safeguards.

The Government is currently consulting on whether to relax licensing hours nationally during the FIFA World Cup 2014.

Home Office licensing guidance can be accessed here, including revised guidance issued under section 182 of the Licensing Act 2003.

Alcohol-related brain damage 'overlooked' says Alcohol Concern report

A new report from Alcohol Concern Wales says alcohol-related brain damage (ARBD) is poorly understood by the public and many healthcare professionals.

'All in the mind: Meeting the challenge of alcohol-related brain damage' emphasises that ARBD is not a progressive condition, meaning it does not inevitably worsen, and so can be successfully treated. Early identification and treatment is therefore crucial.

The term alcohol-related brain damage (ARBD) covers a range of conditions, including Wernicke-Korsakoff’s Syndrome, with a variety symptoms, including confusion, memory loss and other impaired cognitions. ARBD is a result of the physical damage that alcohol does to brain tissue, coupled with a lack of Vitamin B1, also resulting from heavy drinking.

Although less common than many other alcohol-related conditions, Alcohol Concern say ARBD represents a serious public health challenge, and remains very much overlooked and misunderstood. To improve the prevention and treatment of ARBD, Alcohol Concern makes recommendations including:

• Raising awareness of ARBD and its symptoms amongst the general public and professionals, to increase detection and dispel stereotypes about who develops the condition
• Providing better training for health and social care professionals on how to recognise ARBD
• Drawing up a clear care pathway for the diagnosis and treatment of ARBD, including guidance on the best use of Vitamin B1 to treat the condition.

In a BBC story, Alcohol Concern Cymru director Andrew Misell said:

"Most of us know that alcohol can damage our liver, but the fact that it could undermine our long-term brain function is much less well known. Staff on the front line have been seeing younger people and other people who don't fit the stereotype of a homeless dependent drinker coming in with ARBD.

Once again, our willingness to see alcohol problems as someone else's problem, confined to an extreme group of obvious drinkers, is keeping us from seeing the elephant on our doorstep. We hope this paper will be a wake-up call for all of us who drink."

'Big Alcohol, Big Tobacco, Big Influence': University of Southampton event presentations

UPDATE: Second event (Westminster) presentations here.

The Public Policy Team at the University of Southampton have released videos from a recent symposium to explore 'Big Alcohol, Big Tobacco, Big Influence: New vectors for global diseases', aiming to highlight the harmful effects from non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

The event brought together policy makers, practitioners and academics, to "debate the role of NCDs in society and their common vector – marketing by industry, to consider where and how policy interventions might effect change."

Guest speakers and their presentations included:

• Professor Don Nutbeam, Vice-Chancellor, University of Southampton - see the welcome speech

• Dr Nick Sheron, Head of Clinical Hepatology, University of Southampton Professor - on 'Alcohol: unhealthy behaviours, toxic environments and vested interests'

• Linda Bauld, Professor of Health Policy, University of Stirlin, on David & Goliath: Tobbacco control and its opponents

• Professor Gerard Hastings, Professor of Social Marketing and Director of the Institute for Social Marketing and Centre for Tobacco Control Research, University of Stirlin, on Joining the dots: public health in a post marketing world

• Dr Geof Rayner, Professor Associate in Public Health at Brunel University, Editor in Chief, The Lancet, on Nudge, responsibility deals...and other neoliberal guff

A follow up event will take place at The Palace of Westminster: Tuesday 1 April 2014, 14:00 – 16:00 Committee Room 8, The Palace of Westminster. A few remaining places may be available here. [Update: presentations here.]

Dr Nick Sheron explores explores alcohol liver disease and policy:

  

Budget 2014 ends alcohol duty escalator - a further blow for pricing policy

The 2014 Budget has signalled the end of the alcohol duty escalator, which had seen duty rise 2% above inflation since 2008 until last year.

Chancellor George Osborne again cut beer duty by one penny but this time froze duty on spirits and cider. Last year beer duty was also cut by a penny but the escalator still applied to other drinks.

The budget says the freeze on spirits is "to support the domestic market for the thriving Scotch whisky industry and jobs in Scotland", while the beer cut "will support jobs in the pub industry, and means that a pint of beer will be 8p cheaper than under the previous government’s duty plans." Duty on wine will rise at the rate of inflation.

However health groups saw the decision as another blow to the need to address cheap alcohol. Eric Appleby, Chief Executive of Alcohol Concern said: "Once again this government has cast aside the health of the nation to protect the interests of big alcohol". Katherine Brown, Director of the Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS) said: "Alcohol is 61% more affordable today than it was in 1980 and current duty rates for strong white cider amount to just 6p per unit."

Writing for the BMJ, Katherine Brown had recently argued why the escalator should be kept, highlighting the annual lost income of £110 million "could fund 2,587 alcohol nurses in emergency departments, 468 085 ambulance call-outs, or 723 684 days of inpatient detoxification services." A briefing by the Alcohol Health Alliance had also set out 'The importance of maintaining the Alcohol Duty Escalator' [pdf].

Indeed the Treasury estimates the changes will result in about £1.5bn less income over the next five years (see page 57). It is also suggested that it will undermine the already questionable effectiveness of the 'below cost ban' expected next month, to be based on the rate of duty paid + VAT.

However trade and industry bodies welcomed the decision. The Wine and Trade Spirit Association (WTSA), said the wine and spirit industry is set to save £175 million. Chief Exec Miles Beale said it "will help British pubs, bars, and restaurants up and down the country, and will boost jobs and investment in the great British drinks industry". WTSA had headed a Call Time on Duty campaign supported by the Scotch Whisky Association and The TaxPayers’ Alliance, which it claims resulted in almost 90% of MPs emailed by their constituents to scrap the escalator.

Consultation over relaxation of licensing hours during World Cup 2014 - a done deal?

The government is consulting on whether to relax licensing hours nationally during the FIFA World Cup 2014. Under consideration is a national order to relax licensing hours, or whether to stick to requiring 'Temporary Event Notices' (TENs) authorised locally.

England games will be kicking off between 8pm and 11pm, with the consultation asking whether an extension of three, three and half or four hours after kick-off should be given, should a national relaxation be ordered. The extension would only apply to pubs and on-trade premises, though of course many off-licenses and indeed on-trade premises already have later opening hours. 

Under the Licensing Act 2003, licensed premises can give notice that they intend to extend their hours on a limited basis using the Temporary Event Notice (TENs) system. Police and environmental health authorities can object to a TEN on the basis of the licensing objectives, such as prevention of crime and disorder.  

Concerns have been reported from the Home Office, police and council chiefs and research last year showed that England games could increase incidents of domestic abuse by up to 38%. Earlier this year the Home Office had ruled out the option of a national relaxation, but the Prime Minister ordered a "re-think" soon after.

The consultation document states almost 90% of on-trade premises could benefit from a national relaxation until 1am on Sunday 15 June. Premises would make small savings in not having to apply for TENs but could make significant additional revenue, while it would relieve local authorities from considering "potentially thousands of TENs". It does not estimate the cost of potential increased crime and disorder, but states 15% of all violent incidents take place in or around a pub or club, and that 49% of all violent crimes are alcohol-related.

The British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) welcomed the decision and encouraged publicans to respond to the consultation. The BBPA has produced guidance for pubs to help ensure that the World Cup screenings are safe. The guidance is intended as a template for pubs, local authorities and police and provides a checklist for licensees.

The Home Office are requesting responses via the online form or further options and details here. The deadline for responses is 26 March 2014.

Second EMRO rejection - further question marks over licensing legislation?

Lambeth Council have become the second area whose licensing committee have rejected a proposed 'Early Morning Restriction Order' (EMRO) to prohibit late night sales by certain premises. Last month Blackpool Council became the first, meaning no areas have adopted the measure introduced in 2012 under the PRSA 2011.

Lambeth held a four day hearing in which the proposal for the EMRO was considered for four licensed premises at a junction of Wandsworth Road and North Street in Clapham. Residents in the area had reportedly been complaining about the impact of nearby premises for a number of years. In 2011 licensing reviews of two of the premises resulted in decisions to restrict the hours, but one venue appealed to the Magistrates Court and had some of the hours reinstated and with extra conditions imposed.

However licensing lawyers, acting on behalf of the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR), successfully argued against the EMRO. Significant in the decision appeared to be an agreed list of actions by the venues to address concerns of the residents. The actions include implementing ScanNet, bag checks, increased linking between door staff, a last entry of midnight, and regular meetings between venues, the Council and residents. 

The Licensing Committee's decision stated “We applaud the agreed list of actions proposed by Lost Society and signed by all four premises. We endorse these steps and welcome this approach, which was clearly absent prior to the institution of this process. We expect to see that this would lead to a significant improvement in the situation for residents.”

Nonetheless the Committee plan to review the position in six months and may recommend a review of all four licensed premises or to reinstate EMRO proceedings if the situation has not improved.

However Councillor Jack Hopkins, cabinet member for community safety, said:

“Councils across the country have tried to use this new power, all coming up short. We have to find a better way to protect our residents from alcohol-related antisocial behaviour - but it’s starting to look like this legislation isn’t as helpful as it needs to be.” Cllr Hopkins said he would be writing to the Home Secretary as a "review" and "upgrade" of the legislation was "much needed".

The issue over licensing legislation is likely to remain contentious. The ALMR appear to be fulfilling their pledge to support action against areas seeking to implement EMROs or Late Night Levies (LNL), although several LNLs have been implemented including Newcastle. Suggestions remain that an un-level playing field still exists with the off-trade's contribution to alcohol-related problems still being over-looked. The Local Government Association (LGA) also recently called for an overhaul of licensing legislation.

Recent Findings alcohol bulletins: does raising taxes save lives?; Should dependent drinkers always try for abstinence?; recovery & families 'hot topics'

Recent bulletins and hot topics from the drug and alcohol bank:

Does raising alcohol tax rates save lives?

The multiple ups and downs of alcohol tax rates in New York state generally could not be shown to have prevented deaths from alcohol-related diseases, but there were exceptions. The message seems to be that tax rises need to be both substantial and across the major types of alcohol to affect fatal disease.

Should dependent drinkers always try for abstinence?

The bitterest series of disputes in the history of alcohol treatment research is explored in this new ‘hot topic’ entry. It came to a head in 1973 when the orthodoxy that abstinence is the only acceptable and feasible drinking goal for alcoholics was decisively cracked by findings that even physically dependent patients could learn to drink in moderation. Controversy was fierce, reaching to the US Congress, TV networks and the courts.

The therapeutic potential of patients and clients

Hard times and thoughts turn to ways to make resources go further. Ally this with the new recovery agenda and the emphasis on getting people out of treatment, and it is no surprise that mutual aid groups, recovery champions, and recovery networks have moved up commissioning agendas. Visit this hot topic for what we know about the impact and feasibility of turning problem users in to solutions to problem use.

Focus on the families

For once the focus is not on problem drinkers or drug users themselves, but on the welfare of their families – their children, partners, and parents, and what a UK report called the “forgotten carers”. Less forgotten certainly than they were, but still under-emphasised in policy and practice.

Jobs & events: IAS seeking Senior Research & Policy Officer

The Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS) is recruiting for the position of Senior Research & Policy Officer.

The role's responsibilities will include drafting and disseminating policy documents and the collection and analysis of evidence for alcohol policies. Deadline for applications is 09:00am Monday 17 March. Full role description and application details here [pdf].

Other alcohol jobs can be found on this Guardian jobs page or via DDN jobs. 

Events

Alcohol Research UK's next annual conference ‘Alcohol Through the Life Course’, takes place on Tuesday, 18th March 2014 in London - see full programme here.

The full conference programme is now available for the forthcoming New Directions in the Study of Alcohol Group 2014 conference which will take place in Dundee, Scotland from 23rd April to 26th April.

The event includes symposiums on the implications of independence for Scottish alcohol policy, minumum unit pricing and Scottish-based ABI (alcohol brief intervention) research, and more.. Download booking form here or see the wesbite for more details.