COUNCILLORS are being called upon to pledge their support to combating alcohol harm in County Durham.

Members of Durham County Council’s Cabinet will be asked to agree to the council signing the Local Government Declaration on Alcohol when they meet next week.

It costs an estimated £212m each year to deal with the personal, social and economic effects of alcohol in County Durham.

The declaration is aimed at demonstrating the council’s commitment to reducing the impact of alcohol harm.

It was developed by Gateshead Council and the Balance regional alcohol office following a meeting of the regional directors of Public Health Group.

The declaration commits the council to taking a number of actions to reduce alcohol harm.

These include influencing national government to take the most effective, evidence-based action to reduce alcohol harm, particularly through the introduction of greater regulations around price, promotion and availability.

It will also seeking more power for local authorities to control the availability of alcohol and make the best use of existing licensing powers to ensure the effective management of the night-time economy.

Cllr Joy Allen, the council’s cabinet member for safer communities, said: “Every year, there are thousands of deaths in the UK, hundreds of thousands of hospital admissions and more than a million violent crimes linked to drinking alcohol.

“As a council, we are committed to tackling the problem of alcohol harm by working with partners and the community to raise awareness of the issue and taking action to combat it.”