Alcohol Intelligence:
Oldham
April 2009
Michael Burrows, Michela Morleo, Penny A. Cook
and Mark A. Bellis
Centre for Public Health Research Directorate
Faculty for Health and Applied Social Sciences
Liverpool John Moores University
Hatton Garden
Liverpool
L3 2AJ
1
Key Findings
• The percentage of hazardous drinkers in Oldham (23%) is higher than the
national (20%) and North West averages (22%). The percentage of harmful
drinkers (9%) in Oldham is again larger than the national (9%) and North
West averages (6%). However the percentage of binge level drinking (21%) is
below the North West average (23%) but above the national average (18%).
• Over half of the respondents to the Big Drink Debate (in Oldham) agreed that
alcohol advertisements may increase alcohol use. Three quarters (73.5%)
agreed that the drunken behaviour of others was a concern and little over a
half (58.15%) agreed that alcohol-related crime was a concern locally. More
than three quarters (77.2%) agreed that both low prices and discounts on
alcohol products increase alcohol consumption.
• In 2006/07, the rate of alcohol-specific hospital admission was 520 per
100,000 for males and 234 for females, compared with a national average of
369 for males and 176 for females. Compared with the previous year, male
specific admission decreased whereas female specific admission increased.
• From 2003 to 2006, alcohol specific mortality, in Oldham, for males has seen
a decrease from 27 to 20 per 100,000 while female specific mortality has
remained relatively stable (at 12–14 per 100,000).
• There has been little change from 2005/06 to 2007/08 in the rate of alcohol-
related crime in Oldham, at around ten per 1000 of the population, and violent
crimes around seven per 1000. However, Oldham had a higher percentage of
fatal Road Traffic Accidents (RTAs) with a positive breath test (11%) than the
Greater Manchester average (9%).
Consumption
Estimates have been provided for drinking behaviours 1 for the combined years
2003/05 for those aged 16 and over (NWPHO, 2008). Almost a quarter, (23%) are
thought to drink at hazardous levels, higher than both the North West (22%) and
national averages (20%). For Oldham a total of 7% drank at levels considered harmful,
compared to the North West (6%) and national averages (5%). However, the
percentage of binge drinkers in Oldham (21%) was lower than the North West
average (23%) but higher than the national average (18%).
1 Binge drinking: eight or more units for males and six or more units for females in a day. Harmful
drinking: more than 35 units for women and 50 units for men in a week. Hazardous drinking: between
15 and 35 units for women and 22 and 50 units for men in a week. Sensible drinking: up to and
including 14 units for females and 21 for females in a week. (Cook et al, 2009)
2
More recently the Big Drink Debate reported estimates for alcohol consumption for
both Oldham and the North West (Cook et al. 2009). While Oldham had a higher
percentage of both harmful drinkers (8.5% compared to a North West average of
7.5%) and non-drinkers (12.1% for Oldham and 11.2% for the North West), it had
slightly lower percentages of sensible drinkers (60.5% for Oldham and 61.7% across
the North West) and hazardous drinkers (18.8% for Oldham and 20.4% for the North
West).
Hospital Admission
Figures for hospital admission related to alcohol2 use for 2006/07 show Oldham to
have substantially higher admission than the national average for both males, (1437
per 100,000) and females (843 per 100,000) compared with 1171 for males and 889
for females nationally (NWPHO 2008). In comparison with the North West, rates are
around the regional average, with reported rates slightly higher for males and slightly
lower for females. Oldham is ranked at 303 for males and 314 for females (with a
rank of one as having the lowest admission) out of the 354 local authorities in
England. Further, more these data indicate an increasing trend in alcohol-related
hospital admission. Data from 2005/06 suggest that the rate of male and female
admission in Oldham has increased in 2006/07 (from 1234 and 650 per 100,000
respectively). This reflects regional and national trends.
Data gathered for the years 2005/06 and 2006/07 for alcohol-specific admission3
(detailed in table 1) for Oldham, the North West and England indicate an increasing
trend for female admission (NWPHO 2008). Female admission in Oldham was
substantially higher than the national average but lower than the average for the North
West. Out of 354 local authorities nationally, Oldham ranked at 294 for female
alcohol admission. The rates for alcohol-specific admission in Oldham were
considerably greater that the national average but slightly lower than the North West
rates. For male alcohol specific admission, Oldham ranked at 305 out of the 354 local
authorities.
Table 1 - Alcohol Specific Admissions Rates (Per 1000 Admission)
Male 05/06
Female 05/06
Male 06/07
Female 06/07
Oldham
552 229 520 234
N.
West
536 270 581 298
England
340 164 369 176
Source: NWPHO (2008)
2 NWPHO data refer to admission, where individuals who are admitted more that once, in a given year,
are counted only once. Alcohol related admissions are defined as those where the alcohol is a
contributing factor to the condition including those conditions where the conditions are wholly related
to alcohol (alcohol specific conditions).
3 Alcohol specific admission are defined as where the conditions are wholly related to alcohol
consumption.
3
Data gathered by the Tactical Information Service (TIS) for the period April-
September 2008 (TIS) on alcohol specific admission that for the North West show for
males there were 238 and for females 120 admissions per 100,000 in Oldham (290
male and 161 female for the North West). For each quarter, Oldham maintained
admissions lower than the North West average.
Table 2 - Alcohol Specific Admissions for males and females April – September
2008 (per 1000)
Male
Female
Male
Female
(April – June)
(April – June)
(July –Sept)
(July – Sept)
Oldham
120 66 118 54
G.
Manchester
116 72 132 73
N. West
131 74 159 87
Source: Tactical Information Services (TIS 2008)
Alcohol and Mortality
Data collected regarding alcohol-related mortality; in Oldham show for males a
substantial decrease from 79 in 2003 to 52.5 per 100,000 in 2006, echoing both the
North West average, decreasing from 58.0 to 48.0, and the national average,
decreasing from 48.3 to 39.8 over the same time period (NWPHO 2008). However,
rates in Oldham are still higher than both the national and North West averages giving
Oldham a national ranking of 325 out of the 354 local authorities (with a rank of 354
having the highest level of alcohol related mortality). For female alcohol related
mortality, the picture is less clear, rising from 28.7 per 100,000 in 2003 to a peak of
34.8 in 2005 and subsequently decreasing to 26.2 in 2006. This pattern is repeated for
the North West overall, from 24.6 per 100,000 in 2003 increasing slightly to 29.0 and
decreasing to 21.5 in 2006. However the national average shows a steady decline
from 24.6 in 2003 to 16.2 in 2006. Consistent with male rates, the rate for female
mortality related to alcohol is higher both than the national and North West averages,
providing Oldham with a ranking of 346 (again out of 354 Local Authorities).
For alcohol-specific mortality, for 2005 and 2006, Oldham has seen a decline for
males from 27 to 20 per 100,000 whilst for females the rates have remained relatively
stable at 12-14 per 100,000 (NWPHO 2008). Rates for the North West and nationally
have remained stable at 17 per 100,000 for males and nine for females in the North
West and 12 per 100,000 for males and five for females nationally. However, alcohol-
specific mortality is considerably higher in Oldham than both the North West and
nationally, with Oldham ranking 330 and 351 for males and females respectively out
of 354 local authorities.
4
Alcohol and Crime
Data regarding alcohol related crime in Oldham (NWPHO, 2008) show little change
from 2005/06 to 2007/08 at around 10 per 1000 of the population. These figures are
similar to the North West and national averages (ten-nine alcohol related crimes per
1000). There is a similar pattern for data collected on the number of alcohol-related
violent crimes. For 2006/07 and 2007/08, there was little or no difference in the rates
of alcohol related violent crimes between Oldham (seven per 1000) and both the
North West and national average at six and seven per 1000 of the population
respectively.
Table 3 shows the number of alcohol related incidents recorded by the Police in
Greater Manchester. Oldham had fewer incidents than Wigan, Salford or Bolton, but
substantially more than Trafford, Stockport or Bury. Of the 13 divisions where data
are recorded, Oldham was rated at number nine, where a rank of 13 has the highest
number of recorded incidents. However, these are numbers rather than rates and so
may reflect differences in population sizes as well as differences in crime prevalence.
For 2008, the Transportation Unit compiled statistics on the percentage of RTAs
where there was a positive breath test. For Oldham 11% of fatal, 4% of serious, 3% of
slight and 4% of overall RTAs had positive breath tests. In comparison in Greater
Manchester, there were 9% fatal, 5% serious, 3% slight and 4% of overall RTAs
recording positive breath tests, although the greatest difference is in the number of
fatal RTAs with positive breath tests. Overall the total number of RTAs with positive
breath tests did not vary from the Greater Manchester average.
Table 3 – Alcohol-related crime incidents by Police Division in Greater
Manchester (April to December, number of incidents).
Apr-08
May-
Jun-08 Jul-08 Aug-
Sep-08 Oct-08 Nov-
Dec-
Rank
08
08
08
08
Total
Airport
1 1 3
10 5 8 4 1 5
38
1
Bolton
72 79 42 55 69 77 99 79 82
654
12
Bury
31 44 32 48 50 41 44 48 43
381 5
North
59 72 37 61 86 58 67 66 74
580
10
Manchester
Metropolitan 32 28 17 50 50 18 26 33 27
281 2
South
43 59 39 43 37 36 38 40 23
358 3
Manchester
Oldham
58
58
53
74
85
61
55
44
73
561
9
Rochdale
70 72 49 73 70 54 53 39 40
520 8
Salford
71 74 52 87 72 79 72 56 81
644
11
Stockport
49 42 21 44 81 41 38 46 61
423 6
Tameside
64 59 47 43 61 49 66 66 77
532 7
Trafford
34 47 29 57 42 34 37 39 53
372 4
Wigan
74 10 56 106 116 128 98 122 96 806 13
Source: Greater Manchester Police
5
Data gathered referring to licensing-related incidents4 (Table 4) show that Oldham (59)
had fewer incidents than Tameside (76), Wigan (64) and North Manchester (83) but
had more than Bolton (36), Bury (18) and South Manchester (12). Out of the 13
divisions examined, Oldham ranked at nine (where a rank of 13 has the highest
number of incidents).
Table 4: Licensing-related crime incidents4 by Police Division in Greater
Manchester, April to December 2008 (number of incidents)
Apr-
May-
Jun-
Jul-08 Aug-
Sep-
Oct-
Nov-
Dec-
Total Rank
08
08
08
08
08
08
08
08
Airport
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1
Bolton
2 2 1 6 2 8 7 3 5
36
6
Bury
0 5 0 3 1 1 1 3 4
18
4
North
22
16 8 2 3 4 8 7
13
83
13
Manchester
Metropolitan 2 0 0 0 1 2 0 5 2
12
-2
South
2 2 1 3 0 0 0 1 3
12
-2
Manchester
Oldham
9
9
4
9
16
3
2
1
6
59
9
Rochdale
12
11 2 2 6 5 1 6
10
55
8
Salford
7 8 4 0 4 4 5
12
21
65
11
Stockport
6 6 4
11 7 2 5 8 4
53
7
Tameside
6 8 2 6
15 6 9
14
10
76
12
Trafford
2 4 3 4 4 2 4 4 7
34
5
Wigan
2 4 1 3 6
19 8
12 9
64
10
Source: Greater Manchester Police
Recent data from January-March 2009 (Manchester Probation Service) identified
needs relating to alcohol consumption by probationers. These showed Oldham to have
15% of probationers with significant alcohol problems, 20% with some problems and
46% with no problems with alcohol. In comparison with neighbouring districts, only
Bolton and Bury have a higher percentage of probationers with significant problems
(16 and 19% respectively) and just two of the districts examined had a higher
percentage of probationers with some problems (Salford, 21% and Tameside, 22%).
Data from the same source, reporting on the relationship between the misuse of
alcohol (Table 5) and offending show that for Oldham in 45% of cases, alcohol was
linked with offending and that in only 36% of cases there was no link between the two.
Comparing Oldham with neighbouring districts, only two of the districts (Wigan, 49%
and Rochdale, 47%) had a higher percentage of cases linked with alcohol, while
districts such as Bury (38%) or Tameside (42%) had a lower percentage of alcohol
misuse linked to crime. Clearly offending linked to the misuse of alcohol is a manifest
concern for Oldham, linked to almost half of the cases reported here.
4 Licensing related crimes: Incidents that contravene the licensing laws, for example selling alcohol to
minors, exceeding maximum capacity, inoperable CCTV systems.
6
Table 5 – Alcohol misuse linked to offending (January – March 2009)
District
Total
Null % No % Yes %
Bolton 63 15 168 40 190 45 421
Bury
37 17 98 45 81 38 216
City
235 24 393 40 356 36 984
Oldham
65
19
119
36
150
45
334
Rochdale 66 18 132 35 175 47 373
Salford 77 22 118 33 162 45 357
Stockport
83 30 77 28 117 42 277
Tameside
90 27 103 31 139 42 332
Trafford 58 25 74 32 99 43 231
Wigan 103 26 95 24 194 49 392
Other 5 71 2 29 0 0 7
Total
882 22 1379 35 1663 42 3924
Source: Manchester Probation Services
Attitudes on Alcohol
The Big Drink Debate (Cook et al, 2009) surveyed approximately 24,000 people
living in the North West to examine their opinions and the impact of alcohol on their
lives. Of the respondents in Oldham (n=554)5 52.3% agreed that alcohol advertising
increases alcohol consumption (58.1% for the North West overall), and 77.2% agreed
that low prices or discounts increase alcohol consumption (80.5% in the North West).
Respondents were also asked if they avoided the town centre because of drunken
behaviour: 58.0% agreed, higher than the North West average of 47.0%. When
presented with the statements “Action is needed to tackle alcohol related behaviours
locally”, 58.0% agreed with the statements (50.2% across the North West), “The
drunken behaviour of others is a concern,” 73.8% agreed (72.6% across the North
West) or “alcohol related crime is a concern locally,” 58.2% agreed (56% across the
North West). It is clear that the majority of Oldham residents feel that alcohol and the
associated behaviours both criminal and otherwise is a real issue for them.
References
Cook PA, Tocque K, Morleo M et al. (2009). Opinions on the impact of alcohol on individuals and
communities: early summary findings from the North West Big Drink Debate. Appendix B: analysis at
local authority level. North West Public Health Observatory, Centre for Public Health, Liverpool John
Moores University.
Greater Manchester Police (2008). Crime incident data April-June 2008.
Manchester Probation Service (2009)
North West Public Health Observatory (NWPHO) (2008). Local Alcohol Profiles for England (LAPE).
Online tool. NWPHO. (http://www.nwph.net/alcohol/lape/).
Transportation Unit (2007). All road casualties by district, user type and severity for 2005 to 2007.
5 The results were weighted to reflect the demography of each local authority.
7
