Is Government about to act on rising alcohol harm? Figures show the NE public would support it.
New public opinion polling data released by Balance for Cancer Prevention Action Week shows that 3/4 of adults in the North East (76%) think alcohol is a big problem regionally and nationally.
And nearly 4 in 5 (78%) believe that the widespread availability of cheap alcohol in shops and supermarkets has contributed to pub closures.
Balance is releasing the figures to support a national call from medics and health organisations for more Government action to reduce rising alcohol harm, which results in nearly 1 million hospital admissions on the NHS every year , as well as rising rates of alcohol deaths and liver disease.
The figures from a representative survey of 1392 North East adults in March/ April 2025 show:
- 77% agree that alcohol drives disorderly behavior in town and city centres
- 51% support a Minimum Unit Price for alcohol, compared to 16% who oppose it
- 70% support mandatory unit guideline labelling, 69% support a general health warning on alcohol and 57% support a warning that alcohol causes cancer
- Almost 3 in 5 support some level of opening hours restrictions for venues selling alcohol (57%) compared to 21% who oppose
- 81% support measures to limit children and young people’s exposure to alcohol advertising
- 70% support not allowing TV alcohol advertising between 6am and 9pm (i.e. a watershed TV ban)
- 45% feel that the government has not done enough to tackle alcohol harm on a national level
The World Cancer Research Fund has already this week prompted a high-profile national discussion around people being given more information about alcohol as a cause of seven different types of cancer for Cancer Prevention Action Week (23-29 June 2025).
Susan Taylor, Head of Alcohol Policy for Fresh and Balance, said: “For too long the harms of alcohol have been soaring – but a lack of national regulation and a free pass for the alcohol industry to keep people drinking at risky levels has failed communities and hit our public finances.
“Alcohol multinationals have created constant pressure to drink, with alcohol more affordable, more readily available and more heavily promoted than ever before.
“The impact is being felt on our health, criminal justice system, economy and across society. This is an avoidable crisis but one which has been ignored for too long.
“We would strongly support the Government taking long overdue action to address alcohol harms and there is a clear mandate from the public to do so, with wide levels of support for regulation, regardless of political affiliation. This includes backing for alcohol health labelling, restrictions on advertising and addressing cheap off trade alcohol which is fuelling much of the rising toll on health, crime and disorder.
This is not about penalising pubs or telling people not to drink – rather it is about appropriately regulating a product which for too long has been allowed to cause unchecked harms to communities across the North East.”
Kate Oldridge-Turner, World Cancer Research Fund’s Head of Policy and Public Affairs, says: “There’s no safe level of drinking when it comes to cancer. Every year, there are 17,000 alcohol-related cancer diagnoses in the UK. Our polling shows that just 1 in 14 people know alcohol causes cancer – a worrying gap in public awareness that demands urgent government action.
“If the upcoming 10-Year Health Plan only has limited measures to reduce the harms of alcohol, then it’s time to commit to a dedicated National Alcohol Strategy for England, as called for this week by World Cancer Research Fund and over 20 health organisations to Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
“A comprehensive strategy must include measures such as advertising restrictions, Minimum Unit Pricing, and mandatory health warnings to help prevent thousands more cancer cases.”
Balance’s “Reducing Alcohol Harm” is a ground-breaking blueprint backed by regional leaders calling for urgent national action from the Government to tackle the significant impact of alcohol harm. Alcohol costs the North East around £1.5 billion annually in health, crime and disorder, social care, and economic costs and England £27 billion a year.
The blueprint is supported by the Alcohol Health Alliance, the Institute of Alcohol Studies and prominent leaders from across the North East—including Directors of Public Health, Police and Crime Commissioners, the NHS Integrated Care Board for the North East and North Cumbria, and the Mayor of the North East Combined Authority – as well as by individuals who have directly experienced the harm alcohol can cause. It outlines key actions to alleviate the strain that alcohol places on the NHS and wider emergency services.
Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, a leading professor of hepatology, special advisor on alcohol to the Royal College of Physicians and Chair of the Alcohol Health Alliance said: “The drivers of this crisis are well known—cheap, easily accessible alcohol and aggressive marketing that normalises excessive drinking—as are the solutions proven to reduce harm. Measures such as minimum unit pricing, improved advertising regulations, mandatory health warnings on labels, and better investment in alcohol treatment services must be implemented across all UK nations without delay.
“The new government has committed to shifting from a system that merely treats sickness to one that prioritises prevention. Addressing alcohol harm must be central to this ambition. Just as we have seen strong political will to tackle the harms caused by tobacco, junk food, and gambling, we must apply the same urgency and commitment to reducing alcohol harm. Without meaningful intervention, these figures will continue to rise, and more lives will be lost.”
Balance’s Blueprint for Reducing Alcohol Harm is calling on the Government to:
1: Commit to the introduction of an evidence-based national alcohol strategy for England, free from alcohol industry influence.
2: Take steps to raise awareness of alcohol harms, via the delivery of public education campaigns such as Balance’s ‘Alcohol is Toxic’ campaign, the introduction of mandatory health warnings and nutritional / unit / calories information on alcohol labels.
3: Introduce pricing policies which improve public health and protect the public purse, including a minimum unit price (MUP) for alcohol in England and a fairer alcohol duty system which keeps pace with inflation.
4: Introduce restrictions on alcohol marketing to protect children and vulnerable people.
5: Introduce a ‘public health objective’ in England and Wales and consideration of a wider overhaul of the Licensing Act.
6: Invest in prevention and early intervention and improving access to specialist support for at-risk drinkers.
7: Ensure that the alcohol industry is prohibited from involvement in the development of public policy around alcohol.
Across the North East ¾ of the public think that alcohol is a big problem regionally and nationally.