Alcohol - tell us what you think

There’s still time to make your views known on alcohol availability and consumption in the Hutt Valley.

Upper Hutt and Hutt City councils are jointly running a survey, which asks people about how they view issues such as alcohol use, liquor licensing and bans, and social consequences of alcohol. The survey, which is open to all Hutt Valley residents, closes on Friday 14 December.

Graham Sewell, who is helping coordinate the survey, says more than 700 people have responded already.

“We’re getting a good cross-section of the community responding, but it would be great to have more,” says Graham.

“The more councils know about how local residents feel about alcohol, the better we’ll be able to develop a Local Alcohol Plan that reflects the public’s opinion.”

The Alcohol Reform Bill currently going through Parliament empowers local authorities to control the sale, supply and consumption of alcohol, and determine the number, location and hours of sale for liquor premises.

You can complete the survey before 14 December by going to www.surveymonkey.com/s/HVAlcoholSurvey. Or pick up a copy from any of the libraries in the Hutt Valley or from council reception areas.