Berwick councillor casts doubt on Scottish booze cruise study

Cllr Georgina Hill was responding to a study by Public Health Scotland which concluded the introduction of Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) in Scotland in 2018 has not led to large numbers crossing the border to buy alcohol in bulk.

But Cllr Hill, member for Berwick East on Northumberland County Council, said: “This is a classic example of a report coming up with convenient conclusions for those who have commissioned it.

"Close inspection of the methodology - for example around the survey samples - shows we cannot rely much on the apparent evidence.

“Public Health Scotland and the Scottish Government are not going to come up with anything which fuels criticism of their own policy or demonstrates Scottish businesses losing out to English ones.

“It would be interesting to get the findings of a robust, independent report - in Berwick we are aware of a lot of cross border “booze cruisers” but cannot be sure of the precise scale.”

She revealed that a number of Berwick residents had posted comments on her Facebook page reporting that Scottish consumers were buying alcohol in bulk from the town’s supermarkets.

When MUP was introduced, some critics claimed it would drive drinkers to bulk buy over the border in England.

According to the report, interviews with retailers indicated that although households in close proximity to the border made most use of cross-border purchasing, these reflecting established shopping habits.

None of the retailers had knowledge of people from Scotland appearing to travel to England to buy large quantities of alcohol.

Analysis showed that substantial bulk purchasing would be needed for individuals to make significant savings whether purchasing in-person or online, once travel and delivery costs are taken into account.

Balance, the North East of England’s alcohol programme, believes there is strong evidence that MUP for alcohol works as a policy and it is needed for England – and especially the North East.

Cllr Hill will be holding a surgery for residents this Saturday between 2pm and 4pm at the Northern View Club, Highcliffe, Spittal.