Councils in England have received a boost in their efforts to help residents in their region give up smoking. The Department of Health have announced that they will be sharing out £2.5m amongst them to bolster their individual campaigns to encourage quitting.
The 25 local authorities with the highest number of smokers in their area will each get a share of the money, totalling £100,000. The money will support current initiative to encourage quitters and money to prevent young people taking up the habit in the first place. Representatives from the 25 local councils were due to meet on the 10th to discuss the best use of the money. It is thought new initiatives may include local anti-smoking advertising campaigns and a program to support trading standards in enforcing tobacco retailing regulations.
Overall, treating illnesses related to smoking costs the NHS more than £5bn each year. Studies have suggested that 1 in 5 deaths are related to smoking. Oxford University researchers have said that caring for smokers accounts for at least 5% of the NHS’s total budget. Ash, the anti-smoking charity, have suggested that each year the NHS is saving £380m as more and more people give up cigarettes.
The councils receiving the money include Barking and Dagenham, Plymouth and Islington. The scheme will be managed by the Improvement and Development Agency and the Local Authorities Coordinators of Regulatory Services, in conjunction with the Local Government Association. Councils will be supported the Department of Health’s Tobacco Control National Support Team.