Glasgow Shettleston’s MSP, John Mason, has today commented on statistics produced by Alcohol Focus Scotland, which estimate the financial cost to the community caused by alcohol abuse in Glasgow.

For the first time these statistics have been produced across Scotland, broken down by local authority area, and estimates that the total cost of alcohol harm to the city is around £364 million a year. This equates to a cost of £615 per Glasgow resident.

Commenting on the revelation, local MSP John Mason, said:

“The news that alcohol abuse is costing Glasgow £365 million a year is, I am afraid, merely a confirmation of what many people will have feared.  The figure does not, of course, quantify the human cost to individuals and families, or the wider loss in economic potential.  However, it does give us some idea of what a significant amount of time the health service, police and social services spend on dealing with this issue.

“I am certainly not against people enjoying a drink, and do so myself.  However, these figures are clearly a major wake-up call.  They remind us that Glasgow Shettleston has an alcohol death rate over five times higher (574%) than the UK average.  All this makes me more convinced than ever that Scotland is doing the right thing by clamping down on the availability of ultra-cheap forms of alcohol through minimum pricing”.