Baroness Newlove to lead Community Alcohol Partnerships

The government's communities adviser Baroness Newlove will lead a major expansion of Community Alcohol Partnerships with the backing of drinks retailers and producers.

Community Alcohol Partnerships are endorsed by the Home Office and Department of Health and bring together local retailers, trading standards and police to tackle the problem of underage drinking and associated anti-social behaviour.

Newlove has been a staunch community campaigner since 2007 when her husband Garry was killed in an assault outside his house by a group of youths, some of whom had been drinking underage.

She was made a peer in July 2010 to be the victims' voice in Parliament and to encourage people to work together to create better, safer and friendlier neighbourhoods.

The Baroness will chair an Advisory Board leading the roll-out of the partnerships which will comprise of senior representatives from the police, trading standards, public health community and local government.

Among those joining the board is Simon Antrobus, Chief Executive of Addaction, one of the UK's largest specialist drug and alcohol treatment charities.

Drinks retailers and producers are to invest over £800,000 in Community Alcohol Partnerships as part of their commitment to the Government's Public Health Responsibility Deal.

Newlove said: "I am very pleased to lead the roll out of Community Alcohol Partnerships as they are a tried and tested way of driving down underage drinking and associated antisocial behaviour.

"I advocate local solutions to local problems, and this partnership working based on the road map of successful CAPs will allow us to get a grip on this costly issue not just in terms of money but quality of life for people. I also welcome the industry's injection of resources to fund among other things effective school education."

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said: "As well as being a major cause of anti-social behaviour, alcohol misuse costs the health service around £2.7 billion each year. The extension of this partnership is an excellent example of the Responsibility Deal, demonstrating a new effective way of tackling alcohol misuse."

Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) Chief Executive Jeremy Beadles said: "It's great to have Baroness Newlove on board with her experience and insight to lead the next stage of Community Alcohol Partnerships."

There are currently 35 Community Alcohol Partnerships operating in 13 counties around the UK.