Liverpool Approves Five-Year Plan To Tackle Binge Drinking 2026

Key Points

• Liverpool City Council has adopted a five-year strategy to curb the problem of binge drinking and related harm.
• The strategy will be carried out up to the year 2032 and took two years of consultations between residents, communities and organizations.
• According to the statistics by the council, approximately 67,300 adults within Liverpool engage in binge drinking.
• An estimated 87,000 Liverpool individuals engage in the consumption of alcohol beyond the recommended guidelines.
• The problem of alcohol-related harm has been estimated to cost the city of Liverpool £331.7 million every year.
• There are an estimated 4,791 alcohol-related hospital admissions and 79 alcohol-related deaths in Liverpool annually, according to the council report.
• Stanley Park has the highest number of alcohol-related hospital admissions, which stands at 2,014 per 100,000 people.
• The strategy consists of the following measures; prevention, early intervention, treatment, recovery, family support, and tackling underage and illegal alcohol selling.
• Councillor Harry Doyle says Liverpool has an imbalance between the existing relationship with alcohol.

Liverpool (Liverpool standard) October 14, 2026 – Liverpool City Council has approved a new five-year strategy intended to reduce binge drinking and the wider harm caused by alcohol across the city.

As reported by the BBC, the plan will run until 2032 and follows council estimates that more than 67,000 adults in Liverpool drink to excess. The council said the strategy aims to “rebalance” the city’s relationship with alcohol, while recognising the importance of pubs, bars and restaurants to Liverpool’s economy and night-time culture.

The approval comes after figures published in a council report showed that alcohol-related harm costs Liverpool an estimated £331.7 million annually. The report also links alcohol to 4,791 alcohol-specific hospital admissions and 79 alcohol-specific deaths every year.

Why is Liverpool introducing the plan?

The council says the scale of alcohol-related harm in Liverpool is greater than in many other parts of the country. According to the strategy report, alcohol contributes to preventable illness, avoidable deaths, domestic abuse, anti-social behaviour and crime.

As reported by the BBC, council data estimates that about 67,300 adults in Liverpool binge drink, while approximately 87,000 drink more than the recommended guidelines. The Liverpool Echo reported that binge drinking is thought to affect more than 13% of the city’s adult population.

The financial impact is also substantial. The council report estimates the annual cost of alcohol-related harm at £331.7 million, with thousands of hospital admissions connected to alcohol-specific conditions. The BBC reported that the broader financial burden is estimated at about £330 million a year.

What did Councillor Harry Doyle say?

Councillor Harry Doyle, Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Culture, questioned whether the city’s current relationship with alcohol is healthy.

As reported by the BBC, Doyle said:

“Is our relationship with alcohol the right one? Is it balanced? Right now, the answer is no.”

He said the council wants more people to seek help sooner. The plan places particular emphasis on reducing alcohol-related hospital admissions and strengthening services for people affected by alcohol misuse.

The Liverpool Echo reported that Doyle and Professor Matt Ashton set out in the strategy’s foreword that alcohol harms place significant pressure on health, care, policing, housing and voluntary-sector services.

How many people are affected in Liverpool?

The council’s figures indicate that alcohol misuse affects a large share of Liverpool’s adult population.

According to the BBC, about 67,300 adults are estimated to binge drink in Liverpool. A further 87,000 people are estimated to drink above the recommended guidelines.

The Liverpool Echo provided a further breakdown, reporting that an estimated 55,000 men and 31,800 women drink above recommended guidelines.

The strategy report also highlights differences between neighbourhoods. Stanley Park recorded the highest rate of alcohol-specific hospital admissions, at 2,014 per 100,000 people. The BBC reported that Newsham and North Docks followed.

What does Professor Matt Ashton say?

Professor Matt Ashton, Director of Public Health for Liverpool City Council, acknowledged the importance of the city’s hospitality sector while stressing the public-health consequences of alcohol misuse.

As reported by the BBC, Ashton described Liverpool’s hospitality industry as “proud and vibrant”, but said alcohol-related harm remains a major public-health issue. He said it affects individuals, families and communities, and disproportionately affects some neighbourhoods.

Ashton said:

“We want to support our thriving and often fantastic hospitality sector while also helping people to make informed choices, reducing alcohol-related harm and ensuring support is available as early as possible for those who need it.”

What measures are included in the strategy?

The five-year plan includes a range of measures intended to prevent harm before it becomes severe and to support people already affected by alcohol misuse.

According to the BBC, the strategy covers:

• Prevention and early intervention.
• Treatment and recovery services.
• Support for children and families affected by alcohol harm.
• Action to tackle underage and illegal alcohol sales.

The council says the plan was developed over two years and involved input from residents, community groups and organisations.

Liverpool Express previously reported that the council had been developing an alcohol strategy with stakeholders including the NHS, Merseyside Police and universities. That earlier report said the strategy would focus on prevention and early intervention, treatment and recovery, community safety, protection of children and families, licensing regulation, and advocacy for national measures such as health warnings and minimum unit pricing.

How does alcohol harm vary across the city?

The council report identifies clear geographical differences in alcohol-related hospital admissions.

Stanley Park has the highest recorded rate of alcohol-specific hospital admissions, at 2,014 per 100,000 people. The BBC reported that Newsham and North Docks have the next highest rates.

The Liverpool Echo also highlighted the figure for the area around Stanley Park, reporting that 2,014 people per 100,000 are admitted to hospital for alcohol-specific issues.

These figures suggest that the burden of alcohol harm is not evenly distributed across Liverpool, with some communities experiencing substantially higher levels of alcohol-specific hospital treatment than others.

What other alcohol-related figures have been reported?

Alongside the headline figures on binge drinking, hospital admissions and deaths, the council report includes data on drinking during pregnancy and among older residents.

As reported by the BBC, 51% of women in Liverpool consumed alcohol during early pregnancy, compared with a national average of 2.4%. The report also found that 28.9% of people aged over 65 exceed the recommended maximum of 14 units of alcohol per week.

The strategy report says alcohol contributes to preventable illness, avoidable deaths, domestic abuse, anti-social behaviour and crime. The BBC reported that the impact is greater in Liverpool than in many other parts of the country.

How was the strategy developed?

The council says the plan was not produced solely by officials. It was developed over a two-year period with contributions from residents, community groups and organisations.

Liverpool Express reported in 2025 that the council was leading development of the alcohol strategy with organisations including the NHS, Merseyside Police and universities. The report quoted Professor Matt Ashton warning that, without action, up to 38,000 more people could be living with major illness by 2040, many of them with conditions worsened by alcohol misuse.

The final strategy will now be overseen through a multi-disciplinary alcohol strategy group led by the Director of Public Health, according to the Liverpool Echo.

What happens next?

The council will now implement the strategy through services and partnerships focused on prevention, treatment, recovery and enforcement.

The BBC reported that the plan includes measures to encourage earlier help-seeking, reduce alcohol-related hospital admissions and improve support for people affected by alcohol misuse.

The strategy also includes action against underage and illegal alcohol sales, alongside support for children and families affected by alcohol harm.

The council has not announced in the reported coverage a single citywide target for reducing binge drinking by 2032. Instead, the published plan focuses on reducing harm, improving early access to support and addressing the pressures alcohol places on public services.

Background of the development

Liverpool has previously taken public-health action on alcohol harm. In 2025, Liverpool Express reported that 4,450 people were admitted to hospital because of alcohol-specific conditions in 2022, while 97 people died.

That report said the council was developing a new Alcohol Strategy with NHS, policing and university partners. It identified six priority areas: prevention and early intervention; treatment and recovery; community safety; protection of children and families; licensing regulation; and advocacy for national measures including mandatory health warnings and minimum unit pricing.

The council’s wider public-health work has also included the “Call It! Enjoy More, Drink Less” campaign, delivered with Merseyside Police, Liverpool John Moores University and the Police and Crime Commissioner. Liverpool City Council describes it as a city-wide effort to make nightlife across Merseyside safer and more enjoyable.

The newly approved five-year plan builds on that wider context. It formalises a council-led approach running to 2032, with a focus on reducing the health, social and economic costs of alcohol misuse while maintaining support for Liverpool’s hospitality sector.

Prediction: How could this affect Liverpool residents?

For Liverpool residents, the plan is likely to lead to greater emphasis on early support, treatment and community-based services for people affected by alcohol misuse. Residents who drink above recommended guidelines may encounter more prevention messaging, earlier intervention opportunities and clearer routes into treatment and recovery support.

For families, the strategy’s focus on children and families affected by alcohol harm suggests increased attention on support services where parental or household alcohol misuse has an impact. The council has identified this as one of the plan’s core areas.

For hospitality businesses, the council has said it intends to support the sector while encouraging safer drinking choices. Pubs, bars and restaurants may therefore see continued council engagement around responsible alcohol sales, prevention messaging and night-time safety, rather than a stated aim to restrict the sector.

For neighbourhoods with the highest hospital-admission rates, including Stanley Park, Newsham and North Docks, the plan could direct more attention to local alcohol-related health needs. The reported figures indicate that these areas carry a disproportionate share of alcohol-specific hospital admissions, making them likely priorities for targeted public-health work.

For health, policing, housing and voluntary-sector services, the strategy may reduce pressure over time if earlier intervention leads to fewer severe alcohol-related cases. However, the council’s own figures show that the current scale of harm remains significant, with thousands of admissions and dozens of alcohol-specific deaths recorded each year.