Council combat ‘super party’ trend with the most patronising video you’ll ever see

Newcastle City Council, Northumbria Police and Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue service, have warned over the safety issues of the house parties in Jesmond – and it’s all a bit much.

“Wealthy students” are reportedly turning Jesmond terraced houses into “clubs in new drug-fuelled ‘super party’ craze”, according to The Telegraph. Newcastle City Council have released a video warning students about the dangers of these house parties and the potential fire hazards, along with the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse.

Here’s one where a student, giving coke out to the party, gets arrested by police and spends a long night in a cell. The party looks like a mad one…

The house party they show in the video

The video showing students blocking everyone in

The videos and articles have left us students, however, feeling slightly miffed. We all understand the potential hazards and disturbances house parties cause, however, students have questioned if this approach has been dealt with in the wrong way. We have been left feeling patronised, not informed.

In Newcastle, at least, there is no notion of these “super-parties” and going out in town is still the number one thing to do. It is after all what The Toon is known for, and boy aren’t we proud.

Newcastle, although known for its nightlife, is thought to be at a disadvantage in comparison to unis like Leeds or Manchester. After nights out and the clubs closing, often students return to Jesmond suburbia looking to carry on the party, a possible solution would be to extend licenses for some clubs.

Previous soundproofing at a party, over the window, not the exit

The rapport between locals and students is extremely important and it is felt that it’s getting increasingly worse. The video they have produced does not deal with lessening this tension and in the student eyes is not a true representation of house parties in the past. Isn’t there a better way of gaining our attention? There must be a better way to get through to students than telling us what we’re doing is simply going to kill us.

One second year student told The Tab: “I have never seen matresses barricading the doors and have never been locked into a party where I can’t get out. Sound proofing can happen, but only to keep the noise in and not disturb the neighbours.”