Minimum Pricing - Greater Manchester to go it alone?

Greater Manchester could become the first city to introduce minimum pricing of alcohol after 10 councils agreed it should not sell for less than 50p a unit. Officials hope the move will become nationwide. Cheshire, Merseyside, Sussex, Devon, Wales and Jersey are reported to be considering following suit.

At its November 2009 meeting the ASSOCIATION OF GREATER MANCHESTER AUTHORITIES Executive recognised the damage that excessive consumption of alcohol does to local communities and agreed to work with the Health Commission and other agencies to reduce excessive alcohol consumption including through lobbying for a minimum unit price for alcohol.

At its February 2010 meeting the AGMA Executive agreed to advocate strongly nationally and locally for a minimum unit price for alcohol of 50p. Prime Minister David Cameron was reported as saying he would look sympathetically on such an initiative.

However, there are some concerns as to whether a system of minimum pricing could be made to work effectively in a single locality, given the obvious possibility of residents crossing the border into the neighbouring local authority to buy cheaper alcohol, and the risk of a black market.