Alcohol Policy UK

Second phase of 'Local Alcohol Action Areas' (LAAA) open

The Home Office has written to Local Authorities inviting them to apply to take part in the second round of the Local Alcohol Action Area (LAAA) project. Up to 40 areas in England and Wales may be chosen to receive support from 'central government and, where appropriate, the alcohol industry' - see the LAAA round 2 prospectus here [pdf].

The second round was announced earlier this year in the Government’s Modern Crime Prevention Strategy which emphasised local partnership approaches, particularly relating to initiatives to reduce alcohol-related crime and disorder. Local areas applying will be required to 'tackle one or more of a core set of challenges focused on preventing crime and disorder in the night time economy' that include:

BBPA 'sales to drunks' posters - enough to change behaviour?

The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) has "rejuvenated" its poster campaign which aims to help raise awareness of the laws prohibiting selling alcohol to or on behalf of someone intoxicated - BBPA press release.

The BBPA says it has worked alongside Drinkaware and National Pubwatch to create the campaign, which "aims to support staff in upholding these laws and ensuring a safe and sociable drinking environment".

However the extent to which posters can change the behaviour of either bar servers or customers is uncertain; indeed posters designed to promote responsible drinking have been shown to potentially have the opposite intended effect.

Beer hits landmark in shift from on to off-trade drinking

Supermarket and other off-trade beer sales have overtaken pub and on-trade sales for the first time, signalling the continued shift in the nation's alcohol purchasing.

Figures released by the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) show that of the 44m hectolitres (7.74bn pints) of beer sold during 2015 in the UK, 51% was sold by the off-trade, mostly through supermarkets.

News & updates August 2016: Olympics sales boost as sponsors criticised, alcohol and flying, healthy choices, 21 pubs a week close & more

Selected media stories since the July roundup: 

The British Olympic team's Strongbow sponsorship deal came under fire from alcohol and health groups in a letter to the Guardian, warning over 'strong evidence that exposure to alcohol marketing leads young people to drink at an earlier age'. Strongbow featured official Team GB branding on its products and spent several million pounds on a “supporting the supporters” campaign in Britain. Heineken, who own the brand, defended the partnership stating it would be 'exclusively focussed on the adult fans' and 'Strongbow will not be sold or promoted at Games venues, feature in TV coverage, or be linked to any individual member of Team GB'.

Evaluation of Reduce The Strength schemes in two London Boroughs

In recent years a growing number of off-licenses have been reportedly agreeing to adopt 'Reducing The Strength' (RtS) initiatives, whereby shops agree not to sell beer or cider of 6.5% ABV or above.

In 2014 we reported on these schemes which were being said to have positive impacts on street drinking and other issues, despite sections of the trade raising concerns or suggesting the opposite effect in some areas.

News & updates April 2016: Louis Theroux documentary, middle aged drinkers in the news, violence to rise?, tax & more

Selected media stories since the March roundup:

A new Louis Theroux documentary 'Drinking to Oblivion' aired on BBC2 generating widespread Twitter activity and news coverage. Theroux documents three different problem drinkers attending the specialist liver centre at King's College Hospital in London and attempts to understand some of the reasons behind their addictions. The Telegraph described it as 'somewhere between unmissable and unwatchable' and published an article exploring Theroux's relationship with alcohol. See here for the Guardian and other reviews.

Liverpool project reduces sales to 'drunks'

A new evaluation report shows that the illegal sale of alcohol to intoxicated customers in Liverpool was reduced by an intervention designed to improve awareness and enforcement of server law.

Download 'Evaluation of the Liverpool Drink Less Enjoy More intervention' [pdf]

The project evolved from an earlier 'Say No To Drunks' initiative developed by local agencies, which aimed to address the sale of alcohol to intoxicated customers in the city’s nightlife through a 'multi-component approach'. It aimed to increase awareness of legislation; support bar staff compliance with the law; provide a strong deterrence to selling alcohol to drunks; and promote responsible drinking amongst nightlife users.

News & updates February 2016: alcohol and cancer, manifesto for Scottish alcohol policy, drink drive limit

Selected media stories since the January roundup:

Alcohol policy and interventions

Scotland: MSPs have voted down a members bill which would have resulted in a ban on alcohol advertising within 200 metres (656ft) of schools. BBC News

Taxes on alcohol have been branded “a mess” by the Institute for Fiscal Studies, which claimed they were responsible for a shrinking share of tax receipts, saying there was “a clear case for reform” of duties on driving and alcohol as they were poorly targeted at problem drinking. Financial Times

News & updates October 2015: praise for Scotland's MUP fight; alcohol for Bournville; 'boozebulance' banned

Selected alcohol media reports since the September roundup: 

Alcohol policy

The Scottish government has been praised by the Global Alcohol Policy Alliance for its "political courage" in attempting to introduce a minimum unit price for alcohol - BBC News. 'We drink for a good time AND when we're having a sh*t time': SNP Leader Nicola Sturgeon says alcohol is 'ever present' in Scottish people's lives - Daily Mail

BBPA highlights industry responsibility - but true impact questionable

The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) have released a report highlighting a range of 'responsible' retailing practices being undertaken by the pub and brewing sector.

The report, 'Rising to the Challenge - how brewers and pub companies are promoting alcohol responsibility [pdf], says the BBPA believes a UK approach is needed to 'build on the strong foundations now in place such as the ban on below-cost selling and the Public Health Responsibility Deal (PHRD).'