Over half the people who took part in the Big Alcohol Debate survey said that alcohol was part of their social life (61%); that they found alcohol easy to get hold of in the city (65%) and more than a third (36%) were worried about the effect alcohol has on people in the city.
Just over 1300 people completed the survey and thousands more took part in the other methods available.
The headline results also revealed that some people avoid parts of Brighton & Hove because of the way drunk people behave (39.4%) and that they would like there to be more to do that doesn’t involve alcohol (33%.)
When socialising, over 76% said that having good food available is important, as are cultural activities such as live music or an art show (70%) and catching up with friends over a few beers or glass of wine (72%.) Just over 40% said that they can find bars or pubs that make them feel welcome.
The Big Alcohol Debate, launched in October 2011 and just ended, was set up to explore the attitudes Brighton & Hove residents have towards alcohol in the city. A variety of methods were used to gather this information, from focus groups in secondary schools to a travelling inflatable Big Brother style Diary Room. Residents and organisations were invited to tweet about their views on alcohol in the city using the hash tag #bhdrink.
Dr Tom Scanlon, Brighton & Hove’s Director of Public Health and chair of the city’s Alcohol Programme Board, said: “We’re taking these results seriously and will be discussing with our partners how we can do things differently.
“There is a message coming through that people would welcome an alternative to the drinking culture and that they are concerned about the availability of alcohol and the effects of drunken behaviour in the city.”
Brighton & Hove City Council has been working with Brighton & Hove PCT, Sussex Police, licensees and local businesses on the local licensing policy.
An expanded Cumulative Impact Area (CIA) came into effect as part of the revised Statement of Licensing Policy on 20 December. The CIA allows councillors to take into account the impact of other licensed premises in the area when considering an application for a new licence or variations to existing ones. The policy contains some of the most radical guidance in the country and says that new licenses will not be issued unless there are exceptional grounds for doing so.
According to leading national licensing lawyers, Poppleston Allen, the new CIA is the biggest in England & Wales, taking in neighbouring areas to the city centre including North Laine and Western Road in Hove.
Councillor Lizzie Deane, chair of the Licensing Committee, said: “We want residents and visitors to the city to be able to enjoy themselves in a safe and welcoming environment when they have a night out in the city.
“The council and its partners have been listening to people concerned about the effects on them since the licensing hours were relaxed. We need to address issues such as proxy purchasing, underage sales, street drinking, binge drinking, pre-loading and a rising trend in illegal alcohol offences.
“The expanded cumulative impact area provides the council with a mechanism to address local concerns about concentrations of licensed premises and take into account the types of licensed premises residents prefer in different areas. Our revised policy balances the need for protecting local residents with the interests of the local economy, local employment and potential investors.
“New licence applicants are now expected to provide additional security measures to discourage criminal behaviour and disturbance of residents and to show that they are promoting the licensing objectives.
“We also have guidelines for terminal hours appropriate for different areas of the city. For instance, within residential areas, new applications for off licences and pubs would not normally be granted later than 8pm and 11pm (midnight on weekends) respectively.”
Superintendant Simon Nelson from Sussex Police, said: “We share a determination to support confident, healthy, sustainable and safe communities. The responses from those who took part contained strong messages and the police will do everything they can, within the partnership, to address those concerns.”
The sale and consumption of alcohol form an important part of the economy of the city, particularly the night-time economy. The 2009 Report of the Director of Public Health recorded that there were 1,329 licensed premises in the city of which 447 were licensed for off sales. This is equivalent to one on-licensed premises for every 290 residents and one off-sales establishment for every 572 residents.
More detailed results from the Big Alcohol Debate will be reported in March.
Related information
Each week in the city there are typically:
Two deaths associated with the impact of alcohol
66 ambulance call outs due to alcohol
97 alcohol-related inpatient admissions to hospital of Brighton and Hove adult residents
46 attendances at the A&E department related to alcohol
7 attendances at A&E by children and young people living in the city aged 13-18 years
11 people under the age of 25 years seen by Safe Space
One child or young person under 18 years admitted as an inpatient to hospital
In addition:
Costs to Brighton and Hove are estimated to be £106.4 million per year (calculated for 2010). This comprises health costs (£10.1m), economic costs (£24.5m) crime costs (£71.8m)
The latest crime figures show that there has been a significant reduction in police-recorded assaults with injury crimes in Brighton & Hove. There were 1183 such crimes from April to October 2010, and this figure has declined to 943 from April to October 2011.
Alcohol is a factor in at least 40% of violent crimes
Turnover for the licensing industry in the city was £329 million in 2009, having risen from £303 million in 2006. The industry employs over 7,200 people, an increase from 6,773 in 2006
Brighton & Hove City Council
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