More needs to be done to curb alcohol abuse, says MSP

The shock cost of alcohol on families and communities has been branded unacceptable.

David Torrance, SNP MSP for Kirkcaldy, said local authority licensing boards had an important role to play in tackling the country’s relationship with drink.

Mr Torrance raised the issue in the Scottish Parliament after The Courier revealed experts had recommended a blanket ban on new off-sales be considered.

In a report, they said alcohol costs Fife £130 million a year, with 71,000 adults drinking more than recommended limits.

This has led to soaring hospital admissions, an increase in deaths and half of police time now being spent dealing with drunken incidents.

Mr Torrance said: “These figures provide a stark indication of the widespread damage caused to our local communities by excessive alcohol consumption.

“It is simply unacceptable that over half of police time is spent dealing with alcohol-related incidents, whilst our hospital and NHS staff witness ever increasing hospital admissions, health problems and deaths as a direct result of alcohol harm.”

He added: “Whilst the planned introduction of minimum alcohol pricing will be a massive step forward towards tackling the devastating effect that alcohol has on far too many individuals, families and communities, further preventative measures are required to tackle the harm caused by alcohol and to reduce the number of alcohol-related deaths in Scotland.”

The report from NHS Fife, Fife Council and Fife Alcohol and Drug Partnership will go before Fife Licensing Board, which will publish a new licensing policy in November.

The experts have recommended further off-sales licences should be restricted in Cowdenbeath and Levenmouth, where there are the most off-licenses and where there is already substantial evidence of alcohol-related harm.

They have also recommended the consideration of a complete ban on further off-sales licences across the whole of Fife.