As York’s children and young people’s champion, former chair of licensing and current chair of health, I have not seen any increase in underage drinking.

However, accompanying the noise patrol service on late-night duty and through other things, I can see there is evidence to suggest that those who are taking part in underage drinking are increasingly consuming higher alcohol content drinks.

England’s chief medical officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, has accused some parents of a “laissez-faire” approach to their children drinking alcohol. I must agree with him.

On a visit to a York school, I was speaking to one of the local police officers. He said to me that it wasn’t like it was years ago – a cheeky cider down the park.

He said the police now find children with bottles of vodka, and when the children are returned home, the parents do not understand the problem. Sometimes they are the ones who have bought the alcohol for them.

Across England, 500,000 children between the ages of 11 to 15 years will have been drunk in the past four weeks.

It is all very well asking what are the police or the schools doing about this. But if the parents do not play ball then no progress can be made.

I am increasingly finding that the parents of children who are drinking are often from lower socio-economic backgrounds, have a history of unemployment, the families cause noise nuisance to neighbours, life expectancy is less and there are sometimes anti-social behavioural problems in the family.

Not all people are like this, but it pains me as a socialist that this low expectation cycle has still not been broken for a minority. I am still currently uncertain of the solution.

Coun James Alexander, York’s children and young people’s champion, Holgate Road, York.