Moves to curb drink-related issues in town
Agencies join forces to tackle drink problems
A second consultation has been launched in Scarborough in an effort to tackle problems associated with excessive alcohol consumption on nights out.
Scarborough’s Safer Communities Partnership is asking people aged between 18 and 30 who live in the Scarborough area and regularly go out in the town, to go online and fill in a short survey about drinking habits and have their say about the night time economy and how it might be improved.
The consultation will be identical to one the partnership carried out in 2014, which sought to understand the underlying issues that fuel the “pre-loading” culture, where people drink considerable amounts before going out.
The results will be compared to those from the first consultation to see if the measures that have been put in place in the last two years, to encourage more responsible behaviour and a better environment for all, have started to result in a positive change.
The measures have included the pilot late-night closure of St Nicholas Street on Friday and Saturday evenings and continuing financial support of the popular Street Angels scheme, volunteers who are actively out and about on the streets to provide advice and a safe haven for those that need support during weekend nights out.
While Scarborough is widely seen as a safe and enjoyable place to have an evening out, there have been and continue to be issues relating to the culture of binge drinking and “pre-load- ing”, which are having an adverse effect on people’s health and wellbeing, while stretching police, council and health resources, particularly on a Saturday night.
Sandra Rees, Scarborough Council’s community safety manager and safeguarding Officer, said: “The 2014 survey helped us with our intelligence of what triggers are leading to this sort of behaviour. We’re hoping for similar results from this current survey and we’ll be taking a particularly close interest in any positive changes in people’s opinions from two years ago.
“We are concerned that more people are drinking irresponsibly and putting themselves in a vulnerable position as a result.
“We want people to come to Scarborough and enjoy an evening out but we also want people to be safe and not end up in A&E as the victim of an assault, or under arrest after getting involved in disorder.”
The local Public Service Executive (PSE) leads work around alcohol harm reduction and has representatives from Scarborough Council, the police, fire service, Scarborough Hospital, Yorkshire Ambulance Service, North Yorkshire County Council and Yorkshire Coast Homes among others.