Drug and alcohol deaths hit record high after governament cuts funding for treatment services

Some council areas have seen cuts to services of more than 40 per cent

Chancellor Rishi Sunak is squeezing council budgets (AP)

Deaths from drug and alcohol misuse hit a record high following sharp cuts to treatment services across the country, it has been revealed.

An analysis by the House of Commons Library found that more than £100 million less was being spent per year on services between 2016-17 and 2019-20.

In a record high, more than 11,000 people died from drug and alcohol-related diseases in England and Wales in 2020.

In the years leading up to the peak, services were cut by 15 per cent, with sharper slashes to local council areas in particular.

The Commons Library figures show that just 10 councils have been able to find the cash to increase resources for drug and alcohol misuse.

Meanwhile, in four local authorities – South Tyneside, Wiltshire, Staffordshire, and Medway – cuts of more than 40 per cent were made to drug and alcohol misuse services.

“Years of Tory cuts to vital public health services have seen sickness increase and health inequalities widen,” said Jonathan Ashworth, Labour’s shadow health secretary.

“It’s unacceptable for public health services that tackle alcohol and drug addiction to be left so weakened because of deep cuts when we know that they can cause huge harm and death.

“We need a new settlement for public health services, a clear target to reduce inequalities and action to minimise harm and help prevent so many dying from addiction.”

In total, spending on services fell from £762m in 2016-17 to £690m in 2019-20.

Government figures show that in 2020 a record number of 7,423 people in England and Wales died from diseases that were a direct consequence of alcohol with a further 4,561 people dying from causes related to drug poisoning.

A government spokesperson said: “Any death due to substance misuse is a tragedy.

“We are investing £148m to tackle the root causes of drug misuse including £80m for treatment and recovery – the largest investment in the drug treatment system for 15 years – as well as tightening controls on dangerous substances and we will bring forward an ambitious drug strategy later this year.

“On top of that, we are backing local authorities, who know their communities best, with over £3.3bn in 2021-2022 to spend on public health services, including drug and alcohol treatment.”