Newcastle has a reputation as a place to enjoy yourself. For years we have had an image as the ‘party city’ where there are good times to be had.
Over the last few years we’ve worked hard to change that image – to address the terrible, social, economic and health effects of excess alcohol consumption. This has involved taking radical action at a local level, forging new partnerships, challenging many assumptions – and has identified what I believe are the limits of current legislation for local government in improving our abusive relationship with drink.
