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Residents say what they think about alcohol

By James Ledward
Jan 26, 2012 - 1:38:28 PM
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Cllr Lizzie Deane

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 December 20.

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.


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