For the second time in a week the Government has seemingly carried out a U-turn on major public health issues which damage people’s health. Putting a minimum unit price on alcohol would have given us a vital tool to halt the harm caused by alcohol, particularly amongst our young and our vulnerable.
Alcohol harm costs our region £1bn ever year in public sector costs and lost productivity. Minimum unit pricing would have ensured that drink was no longer available at pocket money prices and provided a major incentive to people to drink less.
