PRESS RELEASE
Crispin Blunt MP welcomes £2.5 million funding to boost drug and alcohol treatment and recovery in Surrey.
- As part of the Department for Health and Social Care’s ‘From Harm to Hope’ strategy, Surrey County Council will receive £2,448,511 in additional funding to combat drug and alcohol misuse over the next two years.
- Funding will boost services for people addicted to drugs and alcohol, helping to cut crime.
- This builds on government’s ambitions in the 10-year drug strategy to deliver a world-class treatment and recovery system and reduce drug use to a 30-year low.
As part of a £421 million funding package announced last week (16 February 2023), local authorities across England will receive an extra £421 million government funding for drug and alcohol treatment and recovery.
The extra funding means that total local authority funding for treatment will have increased 40% between 2020/21 and 2024/25. It will enable the creation of over 50,000 high-quality places in drug and alcohol treatment.
The government’s drug strategy, published in December 2021, set out the ambition to significantly increase the capacity of treatment and recovery services. It is estimated that over the first three years of the strategy, the additional investment in treatment and recovery will prevent nearly 1,000 drug-related deaths.
Crispin Blunt MP said ‘it is welcome to see the Government place a significant focus on combatting drug and alcohol related harms. This funding will allow Surrey County Council to keep on making strides in providing treatment for the most vulnerable people. However, the Government must continue to look at ways in which drug policy frameworks can be adjusted to further reduce harms.’
Crispin Blunt can be contacted for interviews and further information on 0207 219 2254
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