Power, polluters and public health – inside the world of a Director of Public HealthPower, polluters and public health – inside the world of a Director of Public Health
Alcohol Alert Podcast
Peter Roderick outlines what a Director of Public Health actually does, from supporting people in alcohol recovery to challenging harmful industry practices. The conversation touches on lived experience, levies on health-harming products, and how devolution could reshape public health work across the UK.
42:27•27 Aug 2026
Power, Profit and Recovery: Public Health’s Battle with Harmful Industries
Episode Overview
- Public health directors juggle scientific advice, team leadership and system-wide influence, with alcohol harm as a recurring focus.
- Lived experience from people in recovery and other marginalised groups is seen as essential, not optional, alongside data and graphs.
- Commercial determinants of health highlight how alcohol, gambling, tobacco and food industries can drive illness through unethical practices.
- Polluter pays-style levies may help in some cases, but risk becoming a licence for industries to keep causing harm while resisting stronger regulation.
- Devolution and combined authorities could open up new chances to tackle cheap off-licence alcohol, transport, and air quality in ways that benefit public health.
“"They are not front and centre of any political manifesto, but they are some of the most vulnerable in society, and potentially some of the most innovative, creative."”
What drives someone to seek a life where health comes first, even in a system shaped by powerful industries? This conversation with Peter Roderick, Director of Public Health for the City of York, gives a behind-the-scenes look at how local public health teams try to protect communities from alcohol and other harms. Peter describes his role as "almost three jobs rolled into one" – scientific adviser, team leader, and local system leader.
You’ll hear how he balances working with elected councillors while still speaking up for people who rarely feature in political manifestos, including those in addiction recovery, Gypsy and Traveller communities, LGBT groups, and children in care. Alcohol harm sits right at the heart of the chat. Peter talks about York’s city-centre recovery hub and why spending time with people in recovery is one of the "best meetings" of his week.
He stresses that public health isn’t just about turning up "with the graphs"; you also need real stories and lived experience in the room to shape priorities and persuade decision makers. A big chunk of the discussion is about the "commercial determinants of health" – how industries like alcohol, gambling, tobacco and unhealthy food influence illness and inequality.
Peter explains the Association of Directors of Public Health’s work on ethics, governance, and their cautious view of the ‘polluter pays’ idea, warning that it can become a "licence to pollute" if it just lets companies pay to keep causing harm. There’s also a look ahead to Andy Burnham’s devolution agenda, with Peter arguing that stronger regional powers could help tackle issues like cheap off-licence alcohol, air quality and transport in ways that genuinely improve health.
If you’re interested in how policy, power and lived experience all connect to alcohol harm and recovery, this conversation might prompt you to ask: whose voice is shaping health decisions in your area?
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