Delivery of this strategy in the region is overseen by the North East Regional Alcohol Advisory Group (NERAAG).
NERAAG brings together managers and practitioners from across the North East with an interest in alcohol-related issues and looks at a whole range of matters, particularly the regions health and concerns about community safety. There are also links with a number of other policy areas including licensing, the economy of the region and culture.
The group is accountable to the Regional Health Forum and partners including ourselves, One NorthEast, Association of North East Councils and NHS North East.
The group advises the Regional Health Forum, Crime and Community Safety Forum and other partners on alcohol and alcohol-related issues. It also reports to the region’s crime and disorder reduction partnerships and drug and alcohol action teams. As the regional policy forum covering alcohol it will discuss, advise and where appropriate, lead on action, innovation or research.
The group helped produce the North East Alcohol Misuse Statement of Priorities and Action Plan, both launched in February 2007. These documents were produced after an extensive consultation exercise and action planning event. The statement contains a number of cross-cutting initiatives identified by NERAAG aimed at driving down the poor health, crime, disorder and social and economic harms associated with alcohol misuse. It directs the policy for taking work forward across the North East.
In March 2008, we organised a conference called Raising the Bar – Tackling Alcohol Misuse In the North East. It followed the publication of Safe Sensible Social: Next Steps in the National Alcohol Strategy and provided an opportunity for partners from across the region to share their experiences in tackling alcohol misuse. More than 200 delegates from local authorities, the police, voluntary organisations, the NHS, the prison service and probation attended.
In June 2008 the Government launched a new Youth Alcohol Action Plan. It is a comprehensive plan to stop young people drinking in public and to help them make the right decisions about alcohol and provide clear information to parents and young people about the risks of early drinking.
