Drugs | LocalGov

Chesterfield council welcomes record drugs bust

26/02/2024

Dozens of gang members have been jailed for more than 120 years after a drugs bust in Chesterfield succeeded in disrupting nine county lines gangs.

Drug-related deaths up by 80%

09/02/2024

Financial uncertainty is undermining local efforts to battle drug addiction, council chiefs warn as report finds drug-related deaths are up 80% over a decade.

UK’s first regular drug checking service launched in Bristol

29/01/2024

The first regular drug checking service in the UK has been launched this month in central Bristol.

Call for greater drug use surveillance

18/12/2023

Council chiefs have called for greater regulation and surveillance of the use of illegal drugs in response to what they have called ‘worrying new trends’.

'Critical' to maintain progress, Dundee told

30/11/2023

A finance watchdog has said Dundee City Council is ‘well-run’ but ‘long-standing difficulties remain’ to be tackled in its improvement journey.

Glasgow to pilot drug consumption facility

15/09/2023

A safe drug consumption facility is set to be trialled in Glasgow after the lord advocate said she did not believe it would be in the public interest to prosecute users of drug consumption rooms for simple possession offences.

Alarming figures reveal 300% increase in ‘cuckooing’

19/05/2023

Figures collected from local authorities across London have revealed a 300% increase in the number of ‘cuckooing’ cases across the capital.

Former drug addicts to help mentor jobseekers

19/05/2023

Former drug addicts and alcoholics are to be appointed as mentors in Job Centres to help people cope with their addictions.

Projects to tackle drug use given £5m boost

09/03/2023

New projects aimed at reducing drug use have been given a cash boost in the first allocation of a £5m Government grant.

Inhaling nitrous oxide ‘no laughing matter’, council chiefs warn

07/03/2023

Council leaders have called for a clamp down on the use of nitrous oxide – or laughing gas – for recreational purposes as a study reveals its harmful impact.

Over £420m drug treatment funding announced

16/02/2023

Local government leaders have welcomed the announcement of an extra £421m for councils in England to improve drug and alcohol addiction treatment and recovery.

Councils receive £53m for drug and alcohol treatment

03/02/2023

The Government has announced grants totalling up to £53m for councils to provide housing support to people in drug and alcohol treatment.

Council chiefs call for ‘clarity’ on addiction services funding

19/01/2023

Council leaders have called for ‘urgent clarity’ on how addiction services will be funded after the figures reveal a rise in number of people seeking help.

Mayor Khan announces £7m to tackle drug violence

16/01/2023

More than £7m will go towards helping the Met tackle drug-related violence, the Mayor of London has announced.

Ministers urged to break the link between drugs and deprivation

14/11/2022

Around 1,600 drug-related deaths could be prevented in the North and Scotland if the Government ensures drugs policy reform is included in levelling up plans, a think tank has argued today.

Council apologises after teenage suicide

29/09/2022

West Sussex County Council has apologised for failing to provide the right level of support to a teenage boy who has died after a suicide attempt.

Sharp increase in drug deaths ‘very concerning’, council chiefs say

03/08/2022

The over 6% increase in the number of drug related deaths in England and Wales is ‘very concerning’, local authority leaders say.

Staff shortages undermining drug treatment, study reveals

21/06/2022

A loss of skilled professionals and the fragmentation of services has proven a major barrier to tackling drug addiction, new research has found.

MPs urge licensing authorities to use powers to tackle spiking

26/04/2022

Local authorities have been urged to use their licensing powers to ensure venues take action to prevent spiking incidents and keep customers safe by MPs.

Council chiefs welcome £300m to tackle drug addiction

14/04/2022

Council leaders have welcomed a Government announcement of additional funding for local areas to tackle drug dependency as an ‘important step forward’.

Project ADDER helps over 13,000 people receive drug treatment

26/01/2022

Over 600 crime groups have been disrupted and 13,000 people supported in drug treatment interventions thanks to a whole-systems approach to tackling drugs.

London boroughs consider cannabis decriminalisation

05/01/2022

Three London boroughs could be part of a pilot scheme aimed at diverting young people caught with a small amount of cannabis away from the justice system.

Largest ever funding boost to tackle drug misuse

07/12/2021

All local authorities in England are set to receive new funding to tackle drug and alcohol misuse over the next three years.

New partnership will roll out anti-spiking tests across Greater Manchester

10/11/2021

Anti-spiking tests will be rolled out across major venues in Greater Manchester as part of a new partnership to tackle drink spiking.

Drug users urged to be careful after high number of overdoses

18/08/2021

Drug users have been urged to be extra careful following a high number of likely heroin overdoses.

Drug-related deaths in England and Wales reach record high

04/08/2021

The number of drug-related deaths in England and Wales reached a record high in 2020, official figures have revealed.

Eight more regions to become Project ADDER Accelerator sites

28/07/2021

Eight more local authorities will become Project ADDER Accelerator sites to help tackle drug misuse and crack-down on drug-related crime.

15 local areas to deliver Changing Futures programme

19/07/2021

The most vulnerable people across England will receive co-ordinated support to help rebuild their lives, the Government has announced.

Girls increasingly becoming victims of county lines drug gangs, councils warn

09/07/2021

County lines drug gangs are increasingly targeting girls and young women, the Local Government Association (LGA) has warned.

Review calls for significant investment in drug treatment

08/07/2021

Local authorities should be given an extra £550m over the next five years to deliver drug treatment in their local communities, an independent review has said today.

Councils welcome £148m funding boost to cut misuse of drugs

20/01/2021

Five areas across England will pilot a new approach to tackling drug misuse under plans announced today by the Government.

Rough sleepers to get extra support for drug and alcohol dependency

14/12/2020

Extra funding will be given to 43 areas across England to help rough sleepers recover from drug and alcohol misuse.

Council chiefs call for investment to cope with lockdown addictions

15/09/2020

Local authority leaders have called on the Government to increase investment in public health services to help them tackle drug and alcohol addiction.

Service reform needed to tackle persistent use of Spice within homeless population

06/03/2020

Legislation has failed to reduce the use of Spice by homeless people, a new study has concluded.

Thousands miss out on drug services due to cuts, charity finds

29/01/2020

At least 12,000 people experiencing homelessness missed out on vital drug and alcohol services last year, new research has revealed.

Overdose victims in Glasgow saved 17 times in four months

04/12/2019

Glasgow Council has released figures showing that overdose victims were revived 17 times in four months at its night shelter.

MPs call for ‘decriminalising’ drug possession

23/10/2019

MPs have called for a ‘radical change’ to drugs policy as a report warns the rate of drug-related deaths has risen to ‘the scale of a public health emergency’.

Council adopts fingerprint-based drug testing

15/10/2019

Peterborough City Council has brought in fingerprint-based drug testing as part of its family safeguarding social care initiative.

Priti Patel unveils £20m funding to tackle county lines

02/10/2019

The Government has announced a package of new measures to tackle county lines drugs gangs.

Over 4,000 young people ‘exploited’ by County Lines gangs

20/09/2019

Figures released by the Mayor of London’s office have revealed that there are more than 4,000 young people involved in County Lines operating out of London.

Drug poisoning deaths up 16% in face of public health cuts

16/08/2019

Council chiefs warn that cuts to public health grants are a ‘false economy’ which make it more difficult to provide support and treatment to drug users.

Councils report 'worrying rise' in body image drugs

29/07/2019

Council leaders have reported a ‘worrying’ increase in the number of people using illegal and dangerous body enhancing drugs.

Primary school children targeted for ‘county lines’ drug trafficking

05/07/2019

The response from statutory agencies to ‘county lines’ drug dealing is ‘too often haphazard’, a charity warns as new report reveals children as young as seven are being exploited by criminal gangs.

Nearly 600 people arrested to tackle county lines drug gangs

21/05/2019

Nearly 600 people have been arrested in a single week for their suspected involvement in drug dealing across county lines.

London Councils welcome drug dealers being jailed in ‘landmark’ slavery case

15/05/2019

Three ‘county lines’ drug dealers have been sent to prison in a landmark case using the Modern Slavery Act.

Council proposes random drug testing of staff

10/04/2019

West Lothian Council is considering introducing random drug testing for staff in posts defined as ‘safety critical’.

Health experts have revealed a big rise in the use of crack cocaine

26/03/2019

Public Health England says the number of adults starting treatment for crack addiction in the last three years has gone up by 19%.

Pilot project helps a third of youths quit ‘county lines’

14/02/2019

Specialist support helped nearly a third of young people in a pilot project to quit 'county lines' involvement with drugs, according to a review.

Treatment cut despite ‘soaring’ alcohol-related A&E admissions

11/02/2019

Councils are reducing spending on alcohol and drug treatment services despite ‘soaring’ numbers of hospital admissions due to alcohol misuse, FOI data reveals.

Front-line workers ‘must get better’ at tackling child exploitation by drug gangs

30/01/2019

Front-line professionals ‘must get better’ at spotting signs that children are being exploited, a children’s charity has said in response to an annual assessment of county lines drug networks.

Vulnerable offenders increasingly referred to health services rather than prison

10/08/2018

Offenders with mental health, alcohol and drug abuse problems are increasingly being referred to health services as part of community sentences.

Council plans ‘random’ drug tests for employees

25/07/2018

Walsall Council employees may soon be subject to ‘random’ drug testing after drugs paraphernalia was discovered.

Two million children at ‘serious risk’, report reveals

04/07/2018

Over two million children are growing up in families where there are ‘serious risks’, a major new study has revealed.

Council to introduce alcohol and drug tests for staff

10/05/2018

A council in Northern Ireland could soon be introducing a new scheme to test employees for alcohol and drug use.

Increase in drug-related deaths linked to health cuts

27/04/2018

Whitehall should reverse its cuts to local authority public health grants in order to tackle the increase in drug-related deaths, doctors say.

Drug addiction costs West Midlands £1.4bn a year

13/02/2018

The West Midlands PCC has called for a joined up approach to tackling drug addiction after a report found the cost of substance misuse to the area was £1.4bn a year.

Private rehab clinics risk killing patients, regulator warns

30/11/2017

A report saying privately-run rehab clinics risk killing patients by handing out too many drugs is a 'wake-up call', a local government leader has warned.

Life Chances Fund awards first round of investment

18/10/2017

The first round of funding to projects that tackle drug dependency and support children in care has been awarded to ten projects.

Vulnerable women ‘trapped’ due to patchy service

14/09/2017

Patchy services across the country are trapping vulnerable women in ‘cycle of disadvantage’ a new report has warned.

Experts call for public health cuts to be reversed in wake of drug deaths

03/08/2017

Experts have urged the government reverse pubic health budget cuts as official figures show the number of deaths related to drug poisoning are continuing to rise.

Home secretary launches new anti-drug strategy

14/07/2017

The Government has launched a new strategy to reduce illicit drug use and increase the rate of individuals recovering from addiction.

Testing facilities in city centres could reduce drug-related deaths, health experts say

09/06/2017

Festivals and city centres should provide testing facilities where drug users can test ‘substances of concern’ to establish content and strength, say experts.

Heroin-related deaths double after councils take on addiction services

25/05/2017

Deaths involving heroin have more than doubled since addiction services were transferred from NHS control to local authorities in 2012, expert writes.

Expansion of drug and alcohol prevention in schools

13/03/2017

Extra funding has been announced to pay for a new drug and alcohol prevention programme in schools and community settings.

Councils should work with venues to tackle drug abuse, guidelines say

22/02/2017

Local authorities should work with nightclubs, gyms and festivals to prevent the misuse of drugs, new national guidelines recommend.

Charity sees sharp rise in drugs and alcohol being used near children

13/02/2017

The NSPCC has reported more than 20,000 concerns over substance abuse near children to the police and children’s services over the past three years.

Council looks into random drug and alcohol testing

26/07/2016

Council considers implementing a random drug and alcohol testing policy for employees.

Health bodies call for illegal drugs to be decriminalised

16/06/2016

Two public health bodies are calling for the possession and use of all illegal drugs to be decriminalised, warning the 'war on drugs' has failed.

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