ADPH welcomes alcohol announcement

Yesterday, in response to the recent consultation on the Licensing Act 2003 Regulatory Easements, the Government confirmed that the temporary loosening of restrictions on the sale of alcohol brought in during the pandemic, would end.

Welcoming the news, Prof Jim McManus, President of the Association of Directors of Public Health (ADPH), said:

“17 million working days are lost every year in the UK because of alcohol-related sickness. At peak times, an estimated 70% of Emergency Department attendance results from alcohol and 40% of ambulance time is spent on alcohol related incidents. Meanwhile, 80 people a day die because of alcohol – a figure that has increased by almost a third since 2019 – and it is the leading cause of illness and disability in 15-49 year olds.

“Yesterday’s announcement is an important step to reducing these sobering – and avoidable – numbers and we are particularly pleased to see that the Government took on board our recommendations made during the recent consultation.

“It is vital though that we take a comprehensive approach to reducing the harm caused by alcohol and we would like to see the Government go even further by taking action on price, promotion and availability. For example, by introducing a new public health objective into the Licensing Act, local authorities would be able to take into account the impact on public health of proposed events when making licensing decisions.

“Only through this type of joined up, cross party local and national action will we be able to reverse the current trend of increasing numbers of people being affected by alcohol harm.”