NAPIER CITY COUNCIL
Civic Building
231 Hastings Street, Napier
Phone: (06) 835 7579
www.napier.govt.nz
Community Services Committee
Meeting Date: |
Wednesday 22 March 2017 |
Time: |
Following the Finance Committee meeting |
Venue: |
Main Committee Room |
Committee Members |
Councillor White (Chair) Councillors Boag, Brosnan, Dallimore, Hague, Jeffery, McGrath, Price, Tapine, Taylor, Wise and Wright
|
Officer Responsible |
Director Community Services |
Administrator |
Governance Team |
Next Community Services Committee Meeting
Wednesday 3 May 2017
ORDER OF BUSINESS
Apologies
CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
Public forum
Announcements by the Mayor
Announcements by the Chairperson
Announcements by the Management
Confirmation of Minutes
That the Minutes of the Community Services Committee meeting held on Wednesday, 8 February 2017 be taken as a true and accurate record of the meeting.
Notification and Justification of Matters of Extraordinary Business
(Strictly for information and/or referral purposes only).
Agenda Items
1 Joint Alcohol Strategy Review - Public feedback.................................................................. 3
Minutes, 8 February 2017……………………………………………………………………………
Public Excluded
Nil
Community Services Committee – 22 March 2017 – Open Agenda
1. Joint Alcohol Strategy Review - Public feedback
Type of Report: |
Operational |
Legal Reference: |
N/A |
Document ID: |
340799 |
Reporting Officer/s & Unit: |
Michele Grigg, Senior Advisor Policy |
1.1 Purpose of Report
To advise Council on the process undertaken in reviewing the Joint Alcohol Strategy with Hastings District Council, and to request approval to release the draft Strategy for stakeholder and public feedback prior to finalisation of the document, and adoption by each Council.
a. That Council approve the release of the draft Joint Alcohol Strategy for stakeholder and public feedback; and b. That Council nominate the Community Services Committee Chair and Community Services Deputy Chair to consider any feedback jointly with the nominated Hastings District Councillors prior to the finalisation of the draft Strategy.
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That the Council resolve that the officer’s recommendation be adopted.
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1.2 Background Summary
A joint Alcohol Strategy for Napier and Hastings was first adopted by Napier City Council and Hastings District Council in 2011. The 2011 Strategy recognised that, while many residents in Napier and Hastings enjoy alcohol in a responsible way, the region also experiences issues relating to alcohol misuse such as crime, hospital visits, injuries, abuse and violence. The Strategy also closely aligns with the goals of our two local safe communities organisations, Safer Napier and Safer Hastings, each of which has identified alcohol harm as a priority area.
The objectives of the 2011 Strategy were to:
· Foster safe and responsible drinking environments;
· Demonstrate leadership to achieve a safe drinking culture;
· Work collaboratively with the community and agencies on initiatives to reduce alcohol related harm; and
· Use clear and effective regulation around alcohol.
A number of actions were implemented under the Strategy including:
· Establishment of the Joint Alcohol Strategy Reference Group (membership of which includes representatives from the Police, Hastings District Council, Napier City Council, Hawke’s Bay District Health Board, and the Accident Compensation Corporation);
· External funding for collaborative projects that promote responsible drinking (e.g. Ease Up in the Bay – Sports Clubs, One for One campaign);
· Coordination of compliance activities;
· Adoption of an alcohol-free approach at community events;
· Additional liquor ban areas; and
· Resources for parents of teens.
The Strategy had a five year review period. Accordingly the Joint Alcohol Strategy has been reviewed and updated (shown at Attachment A); key considerations and updates made are outlined below.
1.3 Issues
Recent alcohol-related harm data was analysed as part of the Strategy review. The hazardous drinking levels in our region have remained higher than the national average and this is not explained by either our younger population or our higher proportion of Māori (McElnay, C. 2014. Health Inequity in Hawke’s Bay, Hawke’s Bay District Health Board).
Not every instance of alcohol use is harmful. However, the immediate and longer-term effects of alcohol use can be significant and wide-ranging, particularly for groups at risk. These have been identified as:
· Young people (including under-age drinkers)
· Men
· Māori
· Women who may become pregnant.
It is acknowledged that there are many levers that can influence a reduction in alcohol-related harm, including government legislation, regulation and enforcement, and community responses e.g. education, treatment and support. Councils have influence over areas such as regulation, facility and event management, urban design and community/social development – it is these areas where Councils can take an active role that form the basis of the revised draft Strategy.
It remains important to act jointly with Hastings District Council to achieve consistency across both cities to create and support a safe and responsible drinking culture and environment.
Through the review process, the Strategy’s objectives have been refined to the following:
· To foster safe and responsible drinking environments;
· To change attitudes towards alcohol to reduce tolerance for alcohol harms; and
· To demonstrate leadership to achieve a safe drinking culture.
1.4 Significance and Consultation
The reviewed draft Strategy reflects current data and trends, and focuses on at-risk groups and both Councils’ areas of influence. The Joint Alcohol Strategy Reference Group provided input into the draft Strategy, particularly with regards to the objectives and target groups.
As the changes to the draft Strategy are minimal, formal consultation is not warranted. However, as it is an area considered to hold public interest, it is proposed that the draft Strategy be distributed directly to key stakeholders for feedback and that feedback submissions are also sought from the public (see the Feedback Plan shown at Attachment B).
Next Steps
The Feedback Plan outlines specific stakeholders that will be provided with the draft Strategy for their comment. The public will also be notified of the draft Strategy through a variety of channels.
The feedback period will be open for four weeks, following which a panel comprising two nominated Councillors from each of the Councils will review any submissions.
It is proposed that the Chair and Deputy Chair of the Community Services Committee undertake this role on behalf of Napier City Council.
Any updates based on the submissions considered as appropriate by the panel will be integrated into the draft Strategy and the document finalised for adoption by both Councils.
1.5 Implications
Financial
None
Social & Policy
The final Strategy will include an implementation plan that incorporates relevant actions arising from feedback received. These actions may link to other Council processes and policies.
Risk
Achieving support on the policy direction from Councils has required a joint approach from the outset. The feedback process continues this approach.
1.6 Options
It is proposed to proceed with the following option:
i. Provide an opportunity for public and stakeholder feedback on the revised draft Strategy before finalising for adoption by both Councils.
1.6 Attachments
a Revised Joint Alcohol Strategy - draft ⇩
b Feedback Plan for draft Joint Alcohol Strategy ⇩