Over the last decade and a half, there have been huge cuts to the support for drug and alcohol issues – with the devolution and dereliction of responsibility for public health down to Cornwall Council level and today about one third of that budget is occupied by drugs and alcohol support.

These services, previously funded directly by the central government, were shifted to local authorities under the Health and Social Care Act 2012. This coincided with a 29 per cent average reduction in local authority funding by 2020. Addiction services were left particularly vulnerable to budget cuts due to stigma and the “Enhanced Support” – incentives offered to GPs for referrals being ditched, with referral rates dropping off significantly.

As a result, spending on drug and alcohol treatment declined, contributing to an 87.1 per cent increase in drug-related deaths in England and Wales between 2012 and 2021. Hospital admissions for narcotics poisoning also rose by 13.2 per cent during the same period. After remaining stable for the preceding two decades, the rate of drug-related deaths has increased every year since 2012.

Although efforts and funding ramped up following the pandemic, the damage had been done and, at this time, as people became more vulnerable to addiction and there was more innovation in synthetic drugs.

During my election I pledged to revitalise our towns. Drug and alcohol abuse has, sadly, become rife in St Austell over the past 15 years and tackling this, together with antisocial behaviour more widely, is a central part of this work.

Last week I met with Cornwall Council’s Drug and Alcohol team for a frank and constructive discussion about the issues in St Austell. It is clear that we need a proper spatial strategy in the commissioning of various support services, housing, and security in the town. I welcomed the statement by the Home Secretary Yvette Cooper that I attended last week in Parliament that soon to be introduced ‘Respect Orders’ will be able to mandate drug and alcohol treatment where appropriate.

I have asked for St Austell to be among the first to trial these orders which will not only give police and courts stronger powers to tackle repeat offenders but will also provide a path forward for those struggling with drug or alcohol addiction — ensuring enforcement is paired with rehabilitation.

I look forward to sharing more with constituents on the work I have been doing behind the scenes on this over the summer.