Change Grow Live keeps Southwark's drug and alcohol service from April 2027, on a contract worth up to £63.4m over ten years. The hub stays at Camberwell Green.

The charity Change Grow Live (CGL) will keep running Southwark’s drug and alcohol service for at least another five years. The council has awarded it a new contract starting on 1 April 2027.

The contract is worth up to £6.34m a year. It runs for five years, with options to extend it by up to five more. Over the full ten years it could be worth £63.4m, according to the council’s decision record, published on 30 October.

What the service covers

The contract is for an “all-age” service, meaning it treats both adults and young people. It also supports children and adults affected by someone else’s drinking or drug use. The contract award report says it will be run from a hub at Camberwell Green, with full step-free access, and from other sites around the borough.

Prevention has been added to the contract’s name and remit. The report says this follows the government’s new three-year public health funding settlement, which names prevention alongside treatment and recovery.

How CGL won it

CGL already runs the service. It took over in June 2017, when the previous contractor, Lifeline, went into administration. The current contract ends on 31 March 2027.

Three providers were shortlisted and their tenders scored. The report sets out the results without naming the two other bidders:

CGL Bidder 2 Bidder 3
Quality and innovation (out of 35) 29.0 20.0 23.0
Value (out of 25) 20.0 20.0 17.0
Integration and sustainability (out of 15) 13.5 10.5 9.0
Access and health inequalities (out of 15) 13.5 10.5 12.0
Social value (out of 10) 8.6 5.4 4.8
Total 84.6 66.4 65.8

The current contract is paid for from the ring-fenced drug and alcohol budget within the council’s public health grant.

What happens next

The decision was taken on 28 October by the council’s strategic director of children and adult services. Councillors can call it in until 6 November; if nobody does, it takes effect on 7 November. The report’s timetable then has a formal notice of the award on 5 November, a standstill period, and the contract signed on 18 November.

What it means for you

  • If you use the service now, nothing changes. The same organisation will keep running it, and the hub stays at Camberwell Green.
  • If you want help for yourself or someone else, opening times, addresses and how to get in touch are on CGL’s Southwark service page and the council’s help with substance misuse page.
  • Young people and families affected by a parent’s drinking or drug use are covered by the same service.

Sources