Alcohol prizes banned from Glasgow school tombolas

Any school events involving alcohol will now have to be held off school premises

All Glasgow schools have been banned from having any alcohol on their premises, including bottles of wine at fundraising tombolas.

Glasgow City Council has changed its letting rules to reflect the fact that there is now a complete alcohol ban.

In a letter to parent councils, it highlights the number of alcohol deaths in Scotland.

And it says that as an education provider it should not be "normalising alcohol through school events".

Some school fairs rely on popular tombolas with alcohol prizes to generate income which is often used to buy equipment for the school or help subside trips for less well-off pupils.

'Normalising alcohol'

Glasgow City Council wrote to all parent councils in March to inform them the change had been made in early 2022.

Previously, alcohol could be on school premises as long as an occasional licence was granted with the holder of the licence ensuring "that alcohol is consumed responsibly and in accordance with their statutory responsibilities as a licence holder."

In the letter, education services quality improvement officer Kathryn Farrow said: "Education Services does not allow alcohol or gambling for a cash prize on its premises at any events."

The letter went on to quote the latest figures on alcohol-related deaths in Scotland which showed that they had increased last year and were at their highest rate since 2008.

Ms Farrow added: "They also showed that alcohol-related deaths in the most deprived communities are 4.2 times higher than in the least deprived communities.

"Normalising alcohol through school events appears inconsistent with our purpose as providers of education.

"Licensing colleagues are being reminded that no alcohol licences should be granted for education premises."

Some parent council members are concerned that the ban will have a big impact on the amount of money that can be raised for the benefit of schools.

One member, who did not wish to be named, said: "Whilst I am glad that the city council are taking steps to help reduce alcohol abuse across Glasgow with their decision to ban alcohol on educational grounds and properties, in line with the Scottish government's efforts, I believe the policy could be more nuanced.

"It's a bit lazy and too simple to just say 'no' to every instance. Exceptions for very specific cases should be included, such as school fundraisers like cheese and wine tastings, tombolas, summer fairs, and quiz nights."

'Cuts to education funding'

He added: "Schools need as much funding as possible, and it's often down to local parent councils to help buy playground equipment, cover a lot of the costs for school trips, purchase life-saving training equipment, and pay for signs to stop people parking in dangerous areas near schools.

"Without the ability to maximise fundraising through events exempt from the ban, our children will miss out because of unsophisticated and counterproductive policy-making by the council.

"I urge the council to reconsider this policy and make some exceptions for very specific cases, such as fundraising events for schools."

Another parent council member said: "This will have a big impact on the ability of schools to raise funds, especially in the environment of ongoing cuts to education funding.

"I'd also wonder how this works as a cohesive policy when Glasgow City Council benefits from alcohol sales on other sites such as TRNSMT and the Glasgow Warriors. It feels like unconsidered gesture politics which will have a disproportionate negative impact."

'Think outside the box'

But Leanne McGuire, chairperson of the Glasgow City Parents Group, said parent councils should take the new ruling as an opportunity to "think outside the box" and come up with other prizes for tombolas, such as gift cards.

"We are trying to promote healthier lifestyles and children are being taught about the harm alcohol can cause, so having it on school premises is contradictory," she said.

Ms McGuire said not having alcohol on school premises would also make schools more inclusive as some parents and carers were teetotal.

"If parent councils still want to hold events with alcohol there is nothing to stop them taking these events outside school grounds," she added.

A spokeswoman for Glasgow City Council said: "This is not a new policy.

"Our school lets policy for all community users - was updated at the beginning of 2022 to include clarity around the no alcohol or gambling rule for education establishments.

"Parent councils were simply sent a reminder of the policy a few weeks ago and the reasoning behind the decision."

Lotteries and tombolas do not need a licence from the Gambling Commission as they are classed as "incidental lotteries".