Sep 4 • Jo Cox-Brown

The Essential Components of Writing an Alcohol Strategy and Impact Report: Sunderland as a Case Study

Sunderland alcohol impact report:

Over the past few months, my team and I at Night Time Economy Solutions have been working with Sunderland City Council to deliver their Alcohol Impact Report. I'm really proud of the result. I've built an excellent team of specialists, who have excelled themselves in understanding complex structures, crunching detailed datasets and writing a powerful and transformational strategy. This document forms the backbone of Sunderland’s new alcohol strategy and will guide how the city reduces harm, supports communities, and aligns licensing with health and safety priorities.

Why it matters

It’s a piece of work I’m proud of because alcohol strategies are not just about policy on paper. Done right, they become a roadmap for healthier cities, safer nightlife, and stronger economies. But for me, it's also personal. When I was in my early twenties, I lost my dad to liver cancer, most likely caused by his inability to stop binge drinking.

I still remember after one of his embarrassing drinking sessions, begging him to stop. I told him he would kill himself if he couldn’t get a grip on it. My premonition came true only a few years later.

At the time, I felt angry and humiliated. I told people my dad had chosen alcohol and death over me, his daughter. But after decades of studying alcohol and its impacts, I know now he didn’t make that choice at all. We, as a society, didn’t do enough to help him make better choices.

That’s why, when cities approach me to write their alcohol strategies, I don’t see it as a technical exercise. I do it from a deep place of love, compassion, research, wisdom and determination. I want people to have the freedom to make healthier choices. I want businesses to thrive. And I want children like me never to have to suffer the trauma of watching a loved one lose their life to alcohol harm.

So when Sunderland, which has one of the highest alcohol-specific death rates in England at 29.3 per 100,000 people, nearly double the national average, asked me to write their Alcohol Impact Report, I was delighted. Asking for help from experts shows maturity, compassion, and a genuine desire to be better.

So what makes an alcohol strategy and impact report effective? From our work in Sunderland and across more than 40 towns and cities, I've discovered that these are the essential components, so I thought I'd take a moment to share them.

Essential components

1. A Strong Evidence Base

The foundation of any alcohol strategy is data. Without robust, multi-source evidence, strategies risk being dismissed or legally challenged.

  • A good impact report should pull from:
  • Crime and ASB data (police records, hotspot analysis)
  • Health data (hospital admissions, A&E attendances, mortality rates)
  • Emergency service data (ambulance callouts, Cardiff Model)
  • Licensing data (density and type of premises, compliance history)
  • Community surveys (perceptions of safety, resident priorities)

In Sunderland, for example, we analysed 42 million pedestrian movements in one year, correlating footfall with alcohol-related crime hotspots. That level of detail helps target interventions effectively.

2. A Whole-Systems Approach

Alcohol harm doesn’t sit neatly in one box. It links to:
  • Health inequalities and deprivation
  • Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG)
  • Domestic abuse and safeguarding
  • Homelessness and mental health
  • Economic regeneration and business support

That’s why a successful strategy integrates across public health, licensing, policing, planning, and community safety. Sunderland’s Alcohol Strategy aligns with its Healthy City Plan and VAWG strategy, ensuring consistency across policies.

3. Clear Licensing and Policy Tools

Licensing is one of the most powerful levers councils have. An alcohol strategy should recommend tools such as:

  • Cumulative Impact Policies (CIPs) to manage saturation areas
  • Smart Area-Based Policies (ABPs) to tailor licensing by neighbourhood
  • Responsible Retailer Schemes to improve practice
  • Noise management frameworks to balance nightlife and residents’ needs
  • Vulnerability Management that covers all types of vulnerabilities

4. Community Voice and Perception

Data tells us what’s happening. Community voice tells us how it feels. Both matter.

In Sunderland, only 30% of residents felt safe in the city centre at night, with even lower figures among women and Asian communities. Embedding those voices ensures strategies tackle not only statistics but lived reality.

5. Practical, Actionable Recommendations

Reports should move beyond diagnosis to delivery. That means:

  • Clear recommendations with rationale
  • Named responsibilities
  • Short, medium, and long-term timelines
  • Built-in review mechanisms (at least every 3 years)

Our Sunderland report included 17 specific recommendations, from tackling deprivation as a driver of harm to embedding safeguarding into licensing policy.

6. Innovation and Future-Proofing

Finally, strategies need to be forward-looking. Alcohol consumption patterns are shifting, the sober-curious movement is growing, and new business models (like hybrid leisure venues) are emerging. Building in innovation from alcohol-free nightlife options to digital surveillance tools keeps a strategy relevant and impactful for years to come. 
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Final reflections

When cities invest in evidence-based alcohol strategies, the benefits are profound:

  • Reduced harm and hospital admissions
  • Safer streets and nightlife
  • Better community trust in local government
  • A healthier economy that supports diverse businesses

The Sunderland Alcohol Impact Report shows what’s possible when cities commit to data, community engagement, and integrated action.

If you’re a local authority or place-based partnership looking to create or update your alcohol strategy, my team and I would be delighted to support you. Together, we can design reports that don’t just sit on a shelf but change how cities live, work, and socialise after dark.