Funding boost for drug and alcohol recovery services in York and North Yorkshire
The Government's investing an extra £421 across England
York and North Yorkshire are set to receive a funding boost to help alcohol and drug treatment and recovery.
The Government is investing an extra £421 million across England, with the funding being given to councils to fund initiatives aimed at tackling addiction and cutting crime.
Some 151 councils are being allocated funding from the Department of Health and Social Care, which will allow them to recruit more staff to help people dealing with addiction, give recovery support to prison leavers and invest in enhancing the quality of treatment.
North Yorkshire County Council will receive a total of £1,622,106 over the next two years and City of York Council will get £846,605.
Ministers say the extra cash will prevent nearly 1,000 drug-related deaths, based on estimates from the Government's drugs strategy.
This funding is prioritised for areas with the highest need, based on the rate of drug deaths, deprivation, opiate and crack cocaine prevalence and crime, taking into account of the size of the treatment population.
Treatment will be available for a wide range of substances, including powder cocaine, ecstasy, prescription drugs and cannabis – the latter remaining the most common substance (87%) that young people receive treatment for.
Paul Townsley, Chief Executive Officer of Human Kind Charity, said:
“We welcome the confirmation of local authority funding for vital, evidence-based drug and alcohol treatment and recovery services.
“Dame Carol Black laid out an ambitious vision of how, as a society, we can rebuild our treatment and recovery services to help those most in need.
“Funding from the 10-year drug strategy, that brought Dame Carol Black’s vision to life, has already supported us to develop our services in areas with the greatest need.
“It has also aided the development of our multi-faceted approach to supporting people with multiple disadvantage. This is evidenced by the expansion of our Individual Placement and Support offer, an employment support scheme that is integrated into treatment and recovery services.
“We look forward to working in partnership with the Government, local authorities, and in Combating Drugs Partnerships to progress Dame Carol Black’s vision through the 10-year drug strategy.”
The charity runs North Yorkshire Horizons which aims to help people across the county with drug and alcohol recovery.
Health Secretary Steve Barclay said: "Drug misuse has a massive cost to society - more than 3,000 people died as a result of drug misuse in 2021.
"This investment in treatment and recovery services is crucial to provide people with high-quality support, with services such as expanding access to life-saving overdose medicines and outreach to young people at risk of drug misuse already helping to reduce harm and improve recovery.
"This funding will help us build a much improved treatment and recovery service which will continue to save lives, improve the health and wellbeing of people across the country, and reduce pressure on the NHS by diverting people from addiction into recovery."
The work is expected to take place across the next two years, with funding spread out based on need.
The funding includes £154.3 million for 2023/2024 and indicative funding of £266.7 million for 2024/2025.
Health minister Neil O'Brien said: "Addictions drive about half of all theft, burglary and robbery, so boosting treatment for addicts will help cut crime.
"This funding will help improve the quality and capacity of drug and alcohol recovery services right across the country, helping more people access the support they need, saving lives and benefiting communities."