Greater Manchester’s Big Alcohol Conversation

The Greater Manchester vision is to make our city region one of the best places in the world. A place where everyone can have the best start in life, live well and age well.
Healthwatch volunteer stood outside holding balloons

The Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority are aiming to reduce the harms associated with alcohol while supporting Greater Manchester’s communities and night time economies to grow and thrive.

The Big Alcohol Conversation is an important step on the journey to achieving this.

Why Are They Consulting

Alcohol-related harm is costing Greater Manchester’s public services over £1.3bn a year – the equivalent of £500 for every resident.

More than 22,000 Greater Manchester hospital admissions a year are directly caused by alcohol, while almost a quarter of our residents say that there is a big problem with people being drunk or rowdy in public places.

But beyond such visible signs, the hidden harms run deep into our communities – impacting on children’s emotional health and wellbeing and affecting more groups of people 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.

Through a major public engagement exercise running from November 2018 to March 2019, we are reaching out to residents across Greater Manchester to explore the scale and nature of alcohol-related harm in our city region.

We are not looking into people’s individual behaviour, but what residents and businesses understand about alcohol harm, and how – and indeed if – things should change when it comes to the way we drink.

The Big Alcohol Conversation will conclude in Spring 2019 with the launch of a Greater Manchester ‘Ambition for Alcohol’ – our statement of intent co-designed by people across the city region, setting out how together we can do things differently and realise our vision.

Give Your Views

Complete the survey

The consultation closes on the 28th February 2019