Debate over Perth ‘wet house’ for drinkers

Sep 30 2008 by Our Correspondent, Perthshire Advertiser Tuesday

A COUNCILLOR yesterday called for “cool heads, even tempers and some careful consideration” as Perth’s politicians continued to consider the controversial issue of a “wet house” for street-drinkers.

Councillor Peter Barrett, the convener of the housing and health committee, said: “The tone of this debate has been all wrong with too many people rushing to judgement both for and against any new facility.

“What we need is a time-out on the mudslinging and time taken to inform ourselves of what is required based on sound evidence and not sound-bite.”

Councillor Barrett welcomed the news that Perth and Kinross Council has organised a major conference on alcohol on November 12.

Invitations have been issued to a wide spectrum of stakeholders including the police, the voluntary sector, NHS Tayside, the specialist drug and alcohol team, and councillors.

He continued: “The conference will provide an opportunity for councillors to hear exactly what are the services that we provide at the moment.

“What are the numbers and circumstances of our population of street drinkers, essentially how big are the problems and what are the gaps in the services we currently provide.”

Councillor Barrett hoped that the information gleaned at the conference will help councillors to consider a variety of measures to tackle alcohol-related problems.

“I don’t want to underplay the concerns that have been expressed but this is not just about street-drinking,” he added.

“We need to gather evidence about the problems across the alcohol spectrum, we need to hear what has been proven effective and what is appropriate to our area. Then we need to set the priorities for Perth and Kinross working in partnership with all the stakeholders.”