Night economy important 'but needs to be safe', government states

Karen Bradley MP told delegates to the Drinkaware London Roadshow that the cost to emergency services of alcohol related violence was more than £11bn a year, and called for greater partnership work to tackle the problem.

She said the sale of alcohol had a role to play: “The production and sale of alcohol in the night time economy is important. It creates jobs for young people, it provides opportunities for people to relax and socialise and is a useful source of income for local authorities in the fees and rates the businesses pay.”

Bradley said she grew up in her parents pub and her brother still runs it, so she was “very much in favour of the night time economy”.

“But we have to make sure that’s it’s a safe night time economy,” she added. “The continued success of the night time economy is in all our interest. We must work together so we benefit from the postitive effects it can bring.”

She said the government approach had three stands; improving local intelligence to enable decision were based on reliable data and evidence; effective local partnerships to reduce the fear of becoming a victim of alcohol related crime; and equipping police and local authorities with the right powers to prevent and take action.

To help develop better collaborative working, she said the government would launch a second phase of its local alcohol areas partnership.

The first phase saw 20 areas across England and Wales engaged over a 13 month period, and Bradley praised efforts from industry, including the Portman Group, SAB Miller, the British Beer and Pub Association, and Drinkaware for their support in developing partnership arrangements to tackle issues.