Call for alcohol tracking to be added to council app to help tackle issues

The Cannock Chase Can app, which was shortlisted for an award earlier this year, is also set to include local and national contact details for charities and support networks which can offer help to residents facing alcohol or drug addiction.

Councillor Charlie Frew called for the measures as part of action to raise awareness of alcohol dependency. And they received unanimous support from fellow councillors at a meeting on Wednesday, where some members said they knew people who had experienced issues with alcohol.

Charity Alcohol Change UK held its annual Alcohol Awareness week at the start of this month and Cannock Chase Council is set to mark next year’s event. Councillor Frew said: “In reference to statistics provided by Alcohol Change UK, alcohol misuse is the biggest risk factor for death, ill-health and disability among 15-49 year-olds in the UK, and the fifth largest risk factor across all ages.

“In addition to this, in reference to Public Health England, its approximated that there are 485,329 dependent drinkers in England which are not in treatment as of 2020/21, this resulting in 81.9% of dependent drinkers going without treatment. When considering alcohol dependency from a local perspective, according to Public Health England, it was estimated that 8,449 people suffered from alcohol dependency in Staffordshire.”

Opposition group leader Councillor Olivia Lyons described alcohol dependency as a “complex problem”, which raised many questions such as how much alcohol was too much and how to recognise signs that someone had a drinking issue. “The UK advises no more than 14 units a week, which I now know is six pints of lager or six standard glasses of wine a week,” she added.

“I didn’t know that – I just knew that too much alcohol is bad. It’s quite scary that 22.8% of adults in England regularly exceed that.”

Councillor Jo Elson, community wellbeing portfolio leader, responded: “I want to thank Councillor Frew for drawing attention to these shocking statistics – I feel very passionately about this myself. The council recognises the devastating impact that alcohol can have and has commissioned training to educate people on alcohol awareness.

“I can confirm that in 2024 Cannock Chase Council will join 5,000 workplaces, health services, charities and community groups and participate in Alcohol Awareness Week. I will work with the health and wellbeing team to see if the Cannock Chase Can app can be developed (to include alcohol intake tracking), and if it proves to be feasible it will be developed.

“It’s possible to include local and national contact details for places that can offer support to individuals affected by alcohol and drug addiction. I will work to make sure this happens as soon as possible.”

The Cannock Chase Can app is available to download from Google Play and the iPhone App Store to smartphones in the district and beyond. The free app offers support and advice to users on topics including healthy eating, physical activity, money management, sleep and mental wellbeing.

To get started users are invited to answer a series of “wellness statements” and register to complete their own “wellness wheel”, which shows their current strengths and where they can take steps to improve other aspects of their lives. They can take on challenges such walking and cooking recipes, spin a “reward wheel” when they complete a task, monitor their success, collect virtual trophies and share their progress online to inspire others.

Cannock Chase Council has worked with Inspiring Healthy Lifestyles (IHL), which runs leisure services across the district, as well as partner organisations and community groups to develop the Cannock Chase Can programme. It was shortlisted in the Innovation category for the Local Government Chronicle (LGC) Awards earlier this year.