Agenda item

(1)       Mr Hirst said that the work of the Select Committee had been conducted against a backdrop of change and the continuing process of gathering evidence and information.  This work was therefore still in many ways ongoing and had links across to other areas of activity.  Mr Hirst spoke about the links that existed between alcohol and drug abuse and the links they in turn had with other social problems.  One important way forward was to urgently put in place a wider programme of education highlighting the damaging effects alcohol misuse can have on people’s lives.  Mr Hirst said that it became very apparent during the work of the Select Committee that young people themselves recognised that alcohol misuse was a major problem, even more so than drugs.  Mr Hirst also spoke about the apparent increase in the number of parents who do not seem to be able to cope and this had associated links to other social problems, including the effect alcohol misuse by adults has on children.  These links and issues needed to be looked at further.  Mr Hirst also said he was disappointed that the recent national budget had failed to make any relationship between taxation and the levels of alcohol in drink.  He believed that such a link should be established so that there were higher taxes on drinks containing higher levels of alcohol.  In conclusion, Mr Hirst, commended the reports recommendations and thanked his fellow Committee Members and the officers who had supported the Select Committee in its work.

(2)       Mrs Dean referred to the links which this report had to other items on the Cabinet agenda for this particular meeting and spoke of the support which this report had from partners involved in this area of work.  She said the alcohol industry should be included in the list of partner groups set out in the Action Plan because the marketing policies of the drinks industry had a direct effect on the drinking habits of and those young people in particular.  Therefore it was essential that the industry was made part of the partnership approach to dealing with these problems.  Mrs Dean spoke about the health agenda and said that there was an apparent reluctance shown by some GP’s to engage in these issues.  That may be something to do with the fact that there was not a readily identified service that GP’s could refer patients onto.  However, the result was that people in need of help were not being identified early enough and this was making it more difficult to provide intervention measures at an early state.  Part of the Action Plan was to improve the effectiveness of GP’s and Primary Care staff by offering a rolling training programme in the early identification and referral of alcohol misusers.  Mrs Dean also spoke about the meeting with young people and the message that alcohol was more dangerous than drugs was very powerful and must not be ignored.  Also some pupils had said that the teaching of PSHE would be better done by someone not directly associated with the teaching staff and the Select Committee had made some recommendations aimed at bringing a more consistent approach to PSHE education.  In conclusion, Mrs Dean said she hoped that the launch of the Select Committee’s report would very much be focussed on involving young people.

(3)       Mr Newman spoke about the resources available to tackle alcohol misuse and the week on week costs which partners such as the NHS and the Police have to bear in dealing with these issues.  Mr Newman said that that there is a sub culture of excessive drinking which was in danger of making alcohol misuse something which was common place.  He also spoke about the meeting with young people and said that they had demonstrated a knowledge of the dangers of alcohol misuse which went beyond what one might expect, so it was important that their views were listened to.  Mr Newman said that the report was very comprehensive and believed it spoke for itself.

(4)       Mr Gilroy said this report was excellent and should be referred onto the Government for its consideration.  Alcohol had always been an issue but in the past 20 years, it had become much more readily available and there was more opportunities for it to be misused.  The problems associated with alcohol misuse cut across social classes and it was up to the County Council to put energy and focus into the recommendations which the Select Committee had put forward.

(5)       Members of Cabinet spoke in support of the work of the Select Committee and its findings.  Mr Gibbens placed on record his thanks to the Select Committee and the County Council’s partners for this report.  He said this was an excellent example of how the County Council worked both with its partners and across Directorates in order to achieve positive outcomes.  He endorsed what had been said about ensuring young people were included in the launch of the Select Committee’s Report and arrangements would be made to liaise with the Kent Youth County Council to achieve that.  Mr Gibbens said he would wish to see regular feedback on progress to Members though the relevant Policy Overview Committees and to Cabinet and also spoke about the fact the National Budget had not taken the opportunity to link tax to the strength of alcoholic drinks.  He wished Cabinet to record its disappointment at that fact. 

(5)       Mr Carter concluded the debate by saying that alcohol misuse was a growing problem which had to be addressed at both a local and national level.  The findings of the Select Committee emphasised the fact that prevention was better than cure and it was important to get an understanding of both the social and financial costs which alcohol misuse had on both individuals and communities.  He thanked the Select Committee for its excellent work and said its report would also be discussed at a future meeting of the County Council. He also confirmed he would want the county-wide event which was to be arranged in order to launch the report to involve young people via the Kent Youth County Council.

(6)       Cabinet then agreed that:-

(a)       the Select Committee be thanked for an excellent report and the witnesses and others who had provided evidence and made valuable contributions to its work also be thanked;

(b)       those partners and stakeholders who took part in the informal round table discussions be thanked for their professional commitment and support;

(c)        the reports, its recommendations and Actions Plans for taking the Select Committee’s recommendations forward be commended; and

(d)       support be given to a county-wide event being arranged to launch the report and an event involving young people via the Kent County Council also be arranged.