Welcome to Greater Manchester’s consultation hub

We asked people across Greater Manchester to tell us about the role and impacts of alcohol in their communities.

We know that alcohol-related harm is costing Greater Manchester’s public services over £1.3bn a year – the equivalent of £500 for every resident. And beyond the visible impacts, hidden harms are experienced by more people of all ages and backgrounds than is commonly recognised.

But alcohol plays an important part in our region’s close communities and vibrant towns and cities. Our night life is celebrated around the world. The vast majority of people who drink enjoy doing so safely and responsibly.

This was not looking into people’s individual behaviour. We wanted to find out what residents and businesses understand about the scale and nature of alcohol harm in our city region, and how – and indeed if – things should change when it comes to the way we drink.

Through broad engagement with the public, and targeted activities with more than 80 local voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations, more than 5000 people joined in the Big Alcohol Conversation.

We are now analysing everyone’s contributions, through our online surveys, one-to-one interviews and focus groups.

What is immediately clear is that people see a wide range of issues linked to alcohol in their local areas, from crime and anti-social behaviour to homelessness to personal health issues. There is support for more action to tackle these impacts, and low awareness for measures already in place.

Watch this space…

Later this year we will reveal the full results of our Big Alcohol Conversation, alongside the launch of a Greater Manchester ‘Ambition for Alcohol’. This will be our statement of intent, co-designed by people across the city region.

Our ambition will set out how we could do things differently – whether through developing new policies or inspiring social change. And how together we could realise our vision for Greater Manchester as a place where everyone can have the best start in life, live well and age well, protected from the harms caused by alcohol.

We asked people whether they agreed with the Mayor and Deputy Mayor’s proposal to raise the policing element of council tax by £24 per household over the course of the year.

This proposed funding would be used to:

Increase the police force by recruiting at least 320 officers; this would include:

• 220 neighbourhood police officers
• 50 police officers dedicated to policing the transport network
• 50 police officers to create a proactive forcewide team

Continue to improve the 101 service

Tackle serious and violent crimeTackle violence against women and girls

Increase, for 2019/20, the amount of funding allocated to the local authorities for community safety initiatives. 

There were more than 850 responses to the consultation on GM Consult.

Feedback included:

• 59% support the proposal of a £24 increase of council tax – or believe it should be increased by more than £24 over the year
• 63% support the proposal to recruit 320 police officers

Additional comments include support for recruiting warranted police officers, not PCSOs, and a desire for an increase in visible police presence in neighbourhoods.

The proposal was presented at a special meeting of GMCA on 15 February 2019 by Deputy Mayor, Bev Hughes. The proposal, to increase the policing element of the council tax by £24, has been backed by the Police and Crime Panel.

The report and minutes from the Police and Crime Panel can be accessed here: https://www.gmcameetings.co.uk/meetings/meeting/645/police_and_crime_panel

The press release announcing the increase is available here: https://www.greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk/news/greater-manchester-communities-to-benefit-from-additional-police-officers/

This consultation asked for views on the vision, themes and commitments in the draft Greater Manchester Drug and Alcohol Strategy.

The proposed vision for the strategy was:

To make Greater Manchester a place where everyone can have the best start in life, live well and age well, safe from the harms caused by drugs and alcohol: 

• A place where children, young people and families have the best start in life and future generations grow up protected from the impact of drug and alcohol misuse.
• A place where people who drink alcohol choose to do so responsibly and safely.
• A place where people are empowered to avoid using drugs and alcohol to cope with adversity and the stresses and strains of life.
• A place where our services and communities work together to build resilience and address the harms caused by drugs and alcohol.
• A place where individuals who develop drug and alcohol problems can recover and live fulfilling lives in strong resilient communities.

 The six themes for the strategy were: 

• Prevention and early intervention
• Reducing drug and alcohol related harm
• Building recovery in communities
• Reducing drug and alcohol related crime and disorder
• Managing availability and accessibility
• Establishing diverse, vibrant and safe night time economies

Over 450 responses were received; of these:  

• 92% of respondents agreed the vision was right (56% strongly agreed and 36% agree). 
• 91% of respondents agreed the themes were right (46% strongly agreed and 45% agree). 

The feedback made it clear that drugs and alcohol should be seen as everybody’s business and that the focus should be on encouraging people to behave safely and responsibly. There was also support for our approach which emphasises people’s strengths and assets and the need for services and communities to work together to address drug and alcohol problems inclusive of criminal related activity. Respondents welcomed that the strategy included children and young people and placed emphasis on prevention and early intervention.

There were some concerns expressed about whether we have the resources to deliver the strategy.  These realistic concerns underline the need to continue the process of public sector reform that the strategy emphasises and ensure that all our services work better together. 

There was also concern that the strategy does not give consider the specific needs of communities of identity and interest (e.g. sexuality, gender identity, ethnicity), therefore we have made sure this is considered in the main narrative of the strategy and will ensure it is a key feature in the strategy’s implementation plan.

Many respondents took the opportunity to share that they feel unsafe at night in areas where pubs and clubs are concentrated and on public transport.  Alongside this there was support for a conversation with businesses about responsible trading and social accountability with many saying we should require, enforce or regulate this. 

Our vision and themes were positively received and are contained in full in the final version of the Greater Manchester Drug and Alcohol Strategy which was approved by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority on 29 March 2019. It combines emphasis on addressing the underlying causes of drug and alcohol problems, ensuring that the information we provide around drug and alcohol use is accurate and credible, and reducing stigma that may deter those with problems from seeking help. 

The final strategy can be accessed here:

https://www.gmcameetings.co.uk/meetings/meeting/668/greater_manchester_combined_authority