Local policies to tackle a national problem: Comparative qualitative case studies of an English local authority alcohol availability intervention

Abstract

different localities, what they are intended to achieve, and the implications for local-level alcohol availability. We found that the case study CIPs varied greatly in terms of aims, health focus and scale of implementation. However, they shared some common functions around influencing the types and managerial practices of alcohol outlets in specific neighbourhoods without reducing outlet density. The assumption that this will lead to alcohol harm-reduction needs to be quantitatively tested.

The intervention effect of local alcohol licensing policies on hospital admission and crime: a natural experiment using a novel Bayesian synthetictime-series method

“…Another limitation of this study is that the level of analysis (ie, the local area) does not necessarily correspond to that of the intervention. A CIZ, for example, is generally smaller than a local area (in fact, an area can have more than one CIZ), 33 which will add non-differential misclassification bias and dilute the potential effect.…”

“…In addition to existing alcohol licensing policies at the level of individual premises, this legislation gave local authorities discretionary powers to develop cumulative impact policies, in which, in specific areas termed cumulative impact zones (CIZs), the usual burden of proof is reversed such that new licence applications must demonstrate that the premises will not negatively impact on the licensing objectives. 5 As a consequence of the significant geographical variation in alcohol-related harm 6 and the priority that addressing these harms has in the wider public health arena, 5 7 8 there is considerable variation in the means and the extent to which councils use licensing policies to attempt to mitigate the health and social harms of alcohol misuse.…”

Implementing a Public Health Objective for Alcohol Premises Licensing in Scotland: A Qualitative Study of Strategies, Values, and Perceptions of Evidence

“…Further research in this field could examine the potential influence of greater public involvement on licensing decisions, as well as developing a clear consensus on potential mechanisms of effect of licensing in terms of benefits such as reduced alcohol-related harms [73], and how public health involvement might influence the outcomes. There is clearly a need for empirical testing of the impact of overprovision policies, public health involvement in licensing more broadly and any specific impact attributable to the introduction or continued existence of a public health objective for licensing.…”

‘A true partner around the table?’ Perceptions of how to strengthen public health’s contributions to the alcohol licensing process

“…It is well-evidenced that mechanisms to limit the availability and accessibility of alcohol are among the most effective for reducing alcohol-related health harms at the population level [2,5,6,12].…”

“…This paper describes results from a mixed methods study of PHPs' contributions to alcohol licensing processes, highlighting perceptions of how to strengthen the public health role. There are also opportunities for public health to engage with other LA stakeholders to shape local alcohol policy, such as a LA's Statement of Licensing Policy (SLP), or cumulative impact policies designed to restrict new licences or variations in areas of high outlet density [11][12][13][14][15]. Evidence indicates that restricting hours of sale, and policies to reduce the density of outlets are two key alcohol regulation levers at the local level, associated with reductions in alcohol-related hospitalisations [3,4], road traffic accidents and injury [2], violent and sexual crimes [3], and antisocial behaviour [1,2].…”