New bid to tackle Hartlepool's 'very high' alcohol misuse problems

In recent months work has been ongoing by Hartlepool Borough Council officers, working with partner organisations, to pull together a draft substance misuse strategy.

Presenting the report to the July meeting of the finance and policy committee, health chiefs warned drugs and alcohol are “one of the highest risk factors of ill health” across the country.

Craig Blundred, Hartlepool director of public health, noted alcohol is an area where they have seen a “big rise” since Covid-19.

He said: “I think actually alcohol is something that the awareness around the dangers of it, because it’s obviously seen as a much more socially acceptable substance, actually the amount of harm that comes out of it can be just as great.

“What I want to do is really change that, that’s the purpose of this strategy, to make sure that we’re picking that up.”

He added they are already making “great strides” in supportive and preventative work which they hope to build on.

Councillors unanimously backed the substance misuse strategy, which will involve the creation of a multi-agency action plan outlining how they will tackle the “priority area”.

The update coincided with Alcohol Awareness Week, which the council is taking part in and runs from July 3-9, with the key theme being on the “true cost of alcohol use”.

Mr Blundred said the costs associated with alcohol misuse in Hartlepool are “very high” while his report noted nationally estimates are the “social and economic costs of alcohol-related harm amount to £21.5billion”.