Anti-smoking measures boosted by £2.5m grant
pharmafile | June 11, 2009 | News story | |Â Â Cancer, NHSÂ
Government anti-smoking measures are to receive a boost with the provision of a £2.5 million grant to help smokers kick the habit.
Twenty-five local authority areas in England will take an equal share of the Department of Health money for marketing campaigns and other measures.
Discouraging young people from taking up smoking is to be one of the key aims.
Authorities will be encouraged to work with trading standards or revenue and customs officers to enforce laws on age of sale and tobacco advertising.
£We have made good progress on reducing overall smoking rates,£ said public health minister Gillian Merron.
£Now we're helping people in areas with the highest rates of smoking, particularly among young people and those from the poorest communities.£
Anti-smoking group ASH suggested that the NHS saves around £380 million a year as people continue to give up cigarettes.
There were 2.4 million fewer smokers in England in 2007 compared to 1998, with smoking prevalence falling from 28% of adults to 21%.
However, research published last year by the campaigning body said that smoking still cost the NHS in England £2.7 billion per year.
And even though there has been a reduction in smoker numbers, it still leaves around 8.5 million smokers in England.
The costs of smoking to the wider community – such as to employers through sickness absence and smoking breaks – is £2.1 billion.
The habit also causes 80,000 deaths every year, the Department of Health says, and is the leading cause of preventable morbidity and premature death.
The 25 local authorities, which include Hertfordshire, Islington, Nottingham, Plymouth, Salford and Sunderland, have been chosen to receive the £100,000 each because they have the highest numbers of smokers.
They met this week at a two-day summit at which they explored how the funding could be best used.
The Improvement and Development Agency and the Local Authorities Coordinators of Regulatory Services will work with the Local Government Association on the programme.
The Department of Health's Tobacco Control National Support Team will also offer advice and support.
The councils involved are: Barking & Dagenham, Corby, Gateshead, Halton, Hartlepool, Hastings, Hertfordshire, Islington, Kingston-upon-Hull, Knowsley, Lincoln, Liverpool, Manchester, Medway, Middlesbrough, NE Lincolnshire, Nottingham, Plymouth, Salford, South Tyneside, Staffordshire, Stoke on Trent, Sunderland, Swindon and Thurrock.
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