Council plan for booze ban for streets and parks
BOOZE is set to be banned from some Bristol streets and parks after council chiefs backed a four-year drug and alcohol strategy.
Alcohol-free zones are among several radical ideas formally adopted in the new document, alongside drug-consumption rooms, which are currently illegal, and forcing pubs to serve at least one zero-alcohol draught beer.
The strategy aims to reverse the rising trend of deaths from drink and substance misuse, create healthier communities and “redefine” the city’s relationship with the hard stuff.
It has been finalised after months of work and consultation and sets out six priorities to be delivered by the local authority, health partners and other agencies.
The document says: “Interventions targeting places rather than individuals – for example, a requirement that all licensed premises offer at least one alcohol-free drink on draught – should ‘nudge’ individuals towards healthier behaviours.
“Alcohol-free spaces – streets or parks where alcohol is prohibited – is a further intervention which could form the basis of a city-wide conversation on drinking that would help to redefine the city’s relationship to alcohol, and instead promote a culture of safety and family-focused entertainment.”
The strategy highlights the University of Bristol’s drug safety testing programme for students and says: “Opportunities for wider population access to such facilities will be considered, alongside education that informs of the dangers of ‘party drugs’ and ‘chemsex.’
“We will reduce the appeal, affordability and availability of alcohol and other drugs within communities in Bristol, and detect health impacts from these behaviours earlier.”
There is also a commitment to explore the introduction of drug consumption rooms for addicts, which city mayor Marvin Rees supported earlier this year.
It says the concept of “relapse” for alcoholics and drug users will not be stigmatised, adding: “Relapse will be seen as part of the cycle of personal recovery.
“This strategy emphasises Bristol’s commitment to view the lowlevel personal use of illicit substances as a social – rather than criminal justice – issue, while at the same time taking a relentless and systematic approach to the reduction of alcohol and drug-related criminal activity, including driving offences.
“Currently in Bristol, any individual found to be in possession of a drug for personal use is offered attendance on a drug education programme as an alternative to conviction, provided they have not attended it before.
“This is a non-sanction disposal option that avoids criminalising a person found in possession of drugs for personal use.”
The document pledges to support people turning to drink and drugs as a result of the mental health impacts of the pandemic, while “supporting the reinvigoration and redesign of the nighttime economy, and other social events such as festivals, through consideration of alcohol-free spaces and other public health principles”.
Deputy mayor and Bristol City Council cabinet member for communities Cllr Asher Craig says in the foreword: “There is mounting evidence pointing to the harm caused by alcohol, and yet consumption of alcohol is legal and plays an important part in our city’s economy, as well as in the social lives of many.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has increased the stressors that can lead to increased drinking and drug-taking for some, whilst also putting pressure on the nighttime economy, as our bars, pubs and clubs struggle to survive.
“We will endeavour to work with the sector, not against it, to build in better practices as our city’s venues reopen.
“We remain committed to the principles of prevention and early intervention, and to focusing on hope and recovery.
“We will seek to create healthy places, for example through exploring alcohol-free zones, and consider whether they have the potential to help redefine the relationship the city has with alcohol.
“When events and festivals return to our city, we intend to continue the work we pioneered in 2018, as the first UK city to facilitate on-site drug testing services.”
Nearly 200 Bristolians die each year from an alcohol-related condition, while 99 residents died as a result of drugs between 2017 and 2019. There are an estimated 6,500 alcoholics in the city.