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122 Golden Lane, London EC1Y 0TL, UK  Tel: +44 020 7251 8414 Fax: +44 (0)20 7608 3490

Managing Editor: Moira Sleight

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Thursday, February 2, 2012 issue 8041

Stop cheap alcohol

CURRENT levels of ill-health and public disorder associated with problem drinking mean the issue of alcohol pricing must be addressed, said the Churches in a letter to Prime Minister David Cameron this week.

“There are various factors involved in problem drinking, but numerous studies have shown that price is the key determinant,” said the letter. “Unless you include strong action on per unit pricing, other measures, such as a ban on below-cost sales, a special tax on strong beers or a voluntary code for advertising, are likely to be inadequate.”

The letter welcomes “recent indications” that – in recognition of the danger posed by cheap alcohol – the Government is “seriously considering” the introduction of a per unit minimum price. Action on pricing must form the central element in the Government’s Alcohol Strategy which is due to be published this month, said the Churches.

“We recognise that there may be complex legal issues involving competition law, but current levels of ill-health and public disorder associated with problem drinking mean that these issues must be addressed,” said the letter.

Key themes from the Methodist Council

FINANCIAL matters, equality and diversity and the future were key themes running through the discussions at the Methodist Council last week.

Representatives from all over Britain convened at Methodist Church House in London for the first meeting of the council in 2012. Among those in attendance were the Connexional Team’s strategic leaders, the President and Vice-President of the Methodist Conference and representatives from each District and from key Connexional bodies such as the Faith and Order committee. The meeting was chaired by past Vice-President David Walton.

Petition calls for early action on child neglect

THE Vice-President of the Conference, Ruth Pickles, attended the launch of Action for Children’s major report into child neglect and added her name to a petition calling on the Government to intervene early to prevent and tackle child neglect which has so far been signed by more than 17,000 people. Action for Children is the children’s charity of the Methodist Church.

The launch of the review into child neglect – the first of a new annual series – revealed that more than half (51 per cent) of social workers and a third of police officers (36 per cent) feel “powerless” to intervene in suspected cases of child neglect. More than 4,000 people, including the general public, a range of professionals and 47 local authorities took part in the research through polling and focus groups.

Living out discipleship

A PILOT discipleship project called “Imagine” has brought together members of the Connexional Team, the North-West Regional Training Forum and the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity (LICC), together with leaders from eight Methodist churches in the North-West.

Imagine is based on the research and work of LICC to develop “Whole Life Discipleship”. The initial research across a number of denominations indicated there were three major areas of life that disciples found challenging to live out their discipleship – their place of work, home and neighbourhood. A Whole Life Discipleship approach was identified as necessary to support disciples in their Monday-to-Saturday lives.

The pilot has been working with Methodist churches including rural, town and contemporary city churches.

ALSO IN THIS WEEK’S METHODIST RECORDER: The Vice-President’s column … Letters to the Editor … Around the Connexion … Next part of the 2012 Lent course … Spirituality and sport … Dickens and religion – marking 200^th anniversary of his birth … Kenneth Greet’s monthly column … and much much more.

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For these stories and more, read the Methodist Recorder every week.

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