A pilot Community Alcohol Partnership scheme to tackle drink related disorder in Midsomer Norton is being planned by Bath & North East Somerset Council and the Town Council.
Community Alcohol Partnerships (CAPs) bring together local retailers, publicans, trading standards, police, health, education and other local stakeholders to tackle the problem of drinking and associated anti-social behaviour. Although they normally address the problems of underage drinking, the planned Partnership would be one of the first in the country to target all age groups.
Councillor David Dixon (Lib-Dem, Oldfield), Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, said, “Positive discussions have been held between the Town Council, Police, and Bath & North East Somerset Council with a view to resolving the concerns that local people have about drink related nuisance and disorder.
“Bringing all the relevant organisations together to develop a co-ordinated approach under the CAP scheme is something we have never done before and other communities will be keen to see how effectively this works in Midsomer Norton.”
Although the target age range of the proposed Midsomer Norton CAP is different to the nationwide scheme, it will be based upon the common principles of educating people about the dangers over excessive alcohol, enforcement when the law is broken, and public perception about the effectiveness of the actions taken by the CAP.
Councillor Michael Evans, Midsomer Norton Town Council who is also a district councillor, said, “Midsomer Norton is a great place to live, but it does have its moments and alcohol is clearly a concern. The Town Council is being proactive in working with local partners to help nudge our culture in a calmer and healthier direction.”
There are twenty CAP schemes across the country and some of these have seen real success, such as in St. Neots, Cambridgeshire where anti-social behaviour decreased by 42% and alcohol related litter reduced by 92%.
The CAP will liaise with the Government Home Office to ensure the proposed scheme works properly. James Brokenshire MP, Government Under Secretary of State for Crime Prevention, said, “I support the focus of the CAP model on education, public perception and enforcement. The focus on enforcement is particularly important; it is right that all licensed premises comply with the law and individuals feel a real sense of their responsibility to their neighbours and society.“
