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'Attitude' Attacked
'West Glam should share alcoholism responsibility'
South Wales Evening Post Wednesday January 6 1982
The director of West Glamorgan's Alcohol Advice Centre today criticised
the county council for taking the attitude that alcoholism was primarily
a health problem and the responsibility for the area health authority.
Alcoholism was a growing social problem, not simply a health problem,
said Mr Alan Douglas. And the county council should be willing to
take its share of the financial responsibility for running the advice
centre, he added.
At a meeting of the finance and residential services sub-committee
last week county councillors recommended that no cash be provided
for the centre. The issue will now go before the social services
committee on October 2nd.
The centre, currently funded by grants of £7,500 from both
the area health authority and the Welsh Office, needs money to continue
its work in the county.
Next year the Welsh Office will provide only 40 per cent of the
grant which goes down to 30 per cent the following year and then
stops.
Unhappy
This is because the Government decided to end central funding for
schemes of this nature so that local authorities could take over
responsibility for them. But West Glamorgan County Council say there
is no money available form the social services budget.
Assistant county clerk Mr Martin Clare said today that the area
health authority was, perhaps properly, responsible of the centre
anyway. He said that funding seemed to be assured for the next two
years.
Mr Douglas said: "The funding is not assured. We started off
two years ago with a grant of £15,000 and that has already
been eroded to the tune of around £"2,000 by inflation.
I am very unhappy about the whole thing. Quite frankly, I don't'
know what will happen if the grant goes down. We need more money,
not less."
Mr Edward Herbert, area general administrator for the area health
authority, said: "We recognise the usefulness of the centre
and are keen to see it continue. Certainly we hope to be able to
continue to keep them going. Alcoholism does have health consequences,
but equally it has very serious consequences socially.
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