VE Day: Council duties under the Armed Forces Covenant
As we mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day, Geoff Wild, Legal & Governance Consultant, looks at the duties of councils under the Armed Forces Covenant.
King's Speech: Waiting lists, prevention and mental health top health agenda
17/07/2024 Reducing waiting times, prevention and improving mental health provision topped Labour's agenda in today's King's Speech but there were no social care reforms. |
King's Speech: A plan for devolution
17/07/2024 The new Labour Government has set out a widespread plan for devolution and economic growth in its Parliamentary timetable, with central diktat reserved for planning proposals. |
Starmer urged to prioritise smoking ban
08/07/2024 Doctors and public health campaigners have called on the new Labour government to ensure that plans to phase out smoking sit at the ‘front and centre’ of its agenda. |
Liverpool to spend £2m to reduce smoking
30/05/2024 Liverpool City Council is set to spend almost £2m on a new tobacco control strategy. |
Council chiefs ‘fully supportive’ of smoking ban
16/04/2024 Local authority leaders have urged MPs to back the Government’s plans to ban smoking and restrict the use of vapes. |
Making England smoke-free could redirect £11bn to local economies
09/04/2024 A new study has found that if everyone in England stopped smoking, £10.9bn could be redirected to local economies each year. |
Council chiefs call for powers to tackle rogue shisha bars
25/03/2024 Local authority leaders have called for more powers to crack down on rogue shisha bars. |
Council leaders welcome anti-smoking Bill
20/03/2024 Local authority leaders have welcomed the prospect of new powers to discourage smoking. |
Council chiefs call for menthol crack down support
13/03/2024 Local authority leaders have urged the Government to do more to help trading standards teams crack down on the use of menthol cigarettes. |
Disposable vapes to be banned
29/01/2024 Disposable vapes will be banned in the UK to protect children’s health, the Government announced today. |
Half of young vapers never regularly smoked, study finds
24/01/2024 A new study has found that 316,000 young people who use disposable vapes never regularly smoked tobacco, but warns that banning the vape products would risk causing relapse among ex-smokers. |
Oxfordshire councils install vape recycling bins
04/12/2023 Three local authorities in Oxfordshire have joined forces to install 60 new recycling collection points for vapes across the county. |
Nearly 460k unemployed due to unhealthy lifestyle
21/11/2023 Nearly 460,000 people in the UK are unemployed due to the health impact of tobacco, alcohol, and obesity, costing the economy £31.1bn. |
Councils respond to King’s Speech
08/11/2023 The Local Government Association (LGA) has responded to proposed legislation announced yesterday in the King’s Speech. |
‘Nothing for local government’ in King’s Speech
07/11/2023 Councils have expressed disappointment that the King’s Speech offered no commitment to improving local government finances or furthering devolution. |
Questions raised over enforcement of smoking ban
04/10/2023 Council chiefs have welcomed the PM’s ambition to eliminate smoking but have called for ‘clarity’ on how restrictions on cigarette sales will be enforced. |
Council chiefs welcome reports of disposable vape ban
13/09/2023 Local authority leaders have welcomed reports that the Government is planning to ban disposable vapes. |
London councillors call for smokefree pavement seating
12/09/2023 Councillors have written to the Government to call for the introduction of a national smokefree condition for pavement seating outside pubs and restaurants. |
Council seizes £32,000 of illegal tobacco
07/08/2023 North Somerset Council has seized £32,000 worth of illegal tobacco from premises in Weston-super-Mare. |
Four in 10 smokers believe vaping is riskier than smoking
03/08/2023 A health charity has called for a campaign to improve understanding of vaping as a poll reveals that four in 10 smokers believe vaping is riskier than smoking. |
Councils call for ban of disposable vapes
17/07/2023 Council chiefs have called on the Government to ban disposable e-cigarettes over concerns about their impact on the environment and young people. |
‘Wild West’ vaping market affecting schools
09/06/2023 The Children’s Commissioner has called for urgent action over the 'Wild West market' of selling vapes to under-18s. |
Children’s doctors call for disposable e-cigarette ban
06/06/2023 Paediatricians today called for an outright ban of disposable e-cigarettes. |
Anti-smoking alliance backs vaping as quitting aid
05/06/2023 Public health leaders have joined others in urging those working with adult smokers to encourage them to swap cigarettes for vapes to help them stop smoking. |
Crackdown on sale of vapes to children launched
30/05/2023 A review of the rules governing the sale of vapes to under 18s could make it easier for local Trading Standards to issue fines and fixed penalty notices. |
Number of children experimenting with vaping up 50%
18/05/2023 The number of shops selling vaping products to people under 18 has risen sharply, according to council leaders. |
Woman fined £1,500 for discarded cigarette butt
21/04/2023 A Bristol woman has been fined a total of nearly £1,500 after throwing her cigarette butt on the ground outside a supermarket. |
Vaping kits handed out to make England ‘smoke free’
11/04/2023 The Government is planning to work with councils to hand out vaping kits in a drive to help people stop smoking. |
Council chiefs call for ‘tougher’ vaping laws
13/02/2023 Vaping products should be put out of sight to crack down on selling to children, say council leaders. |
Councils back NHS anti-smoking investment
07/02/2023 Local authorities have backed investment by the NHS to help smokers quit, according to campaigners. |
Councillors call for ‘polluter pays’ levy on tobacco
18/01/2023 Local councillors have urged the Government to introduce a ‘polluter pays’ levy on tobacco manufacturers and to replace the expired plan to control tobacco. |
Number of recorded smokers reaches all-time low
06/12/2022 The number of people smoking has fallen to 13% in 2021, the lowest level on record, official figures have revealed. |
Decision to name Bristol street after cigarette brand under review
26/10/2022 Mayor of Bristol is currently reviewing a controversial decision to name a street after a cigarette brand after an anti-smoking charity criticised the plan. |
Public health directors join anti-smoking alliance
26/10/2022 Directors of public health in London have joined others today in launching a new alliance to accelerate efforts to eliminate smoking across the capital. |
Pregnant smokers offered free e-cigarettes
24/10/2022 Lambeth Council is planning on offering pregnant smokers free e-cigarettes to help wean them off tobacco, the council has announced. |
Public support levy to fund smoking cessation efforts
01/07/2022 Three quarters of the public support making tobacco manufacturers pay a levy to fund tobacco control and smoking cessation, a new survey has found. |
Immediate action needed to achieve smokefree target, review warns
09/06/2022 The age in which people can buy tobacco products should increase by one year every year until no-one is able to purchase them in this country, a new review has recommended. |
Council considers paying residents to quit smoking
31/05/2022 Cheshire East Council is considering the idea of trialling a smoking cessation incentive scheme to promote good health and to save the taxpayer money. |
Councils warn illicit tobacco could undermine smoking cessation efforts
23/05/2022 Council leaders have warned the cost of living crisis could cause more people to use cheap counterfeit tobacco, widening health disparities. |
Council chiefs call for VAT cut on vaping products
09/03/2022 The Government should cut Value Added Tax (VAT) on the sale of vaping products to help people to stop smoking, local authority leaders say. |
Report calls for stronger action on major health risk factors
23/02/2022 The Government's current approach to tackling the leading risk factors for ill health is 'insufficient' to deliver on its key targets, according to a new report. |
Smoking 'single largest driver' of health inequalities
09/02/2022 A third of smoking households in England are living in poverty with rates highest in the North, a new study has revealed. |
Leads for reviews into health disparities confirmed
07/02/2022 The leads for two significant independent reviews to tackle health disparities have been confirmed. |
Quit smoking services under threat from lack of funds
24/01/2022 Local authority-run efforts to help people quit smoking have improved during the pandemic but are under threat due to underfunding, charities warn. |
Plans to make Wales smoke-free by 2030
08/11/2021 A new plan to make Wales smoke-free by the end of the decade has been unveiled. |
E-cigarettes could be prescribed on the NHS
29/10/2021 England could become the first country in the world to prescribe e-cigarettes in a bid to reduce smoking rates. |
Dramatic increase in lockdown smoking ‘ticking time bomb’
25/08/2021 Campaigners have urged the Government to be more ambitious in tackling smoking as new figures reveal a rise in the number of young people becoming addicts. |
North and Midlands see greatest levels of smoking-related poverty
23/07/2021 The number of smokers living in poverty is concentrated in the North and Midlands, according to new research. |
Pregnant women could be offered vouchers to stop smoking
25/06/2021 Pregnant women could be offered up to £400 in shopping vouchers to encourage them to quit smoking under new guidelines published today. |
Calls for consultation on raising the age of sale for tobacco
28/05/2021 A health charity has called for a consultation on raising the age of sale for tobacco to 21 to help cut the number of smokers by thousands every year. |
Pandemic drives increase in ‘stress-smoking’
15/04/2021 COVID-19 has led to more than half of smokers ‘stress-smoking’ more and 10% lighting up again after quitting, a survey suggests. |
Smokers in England cost local care services £1.2bn each year
23/03/2021 Smokers in England need care 10 years sooner than non-smokers, which places a considerable burden on local social care services, research reveals. |
England to miss 'smoke-free’ target by 21 years, research suggests
08/03/2021 It will take 21 years longer than expected for England to become smoke-free at a cost of over £40.4bn in local authority, social care and NHS costs, new analysis has revealed. |
Majority of adults determined to lead healthier lifestyles in the face of COVID-19
05/01/2021 Seven in 10 adults say that the threat of the coronavirus has motivated them to lead healthier lives this year, a public health survey has revealed. |
Councils call for action to ensure smoke-free pavements
20/07/2020 Councils have called for pavements outside pubs, bars and cafes to be smoke-free. |
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A million smokers quit during pandemic
15/07/2020 More than a million smokers have quit the habit since the start of the coronavirus crisis, figures have revealed today. |
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Less than one in seven people are now smokers, data reveals
08/07/2020 The number of smokers in the UK has fallen from 14.7% in 2018 to 14.1% in 2019, according to official figures. |
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Campaigners warn children more exposed to secondhand smoke since lockdown
14/05/2020 More than one in ten smokers who live with children are smoking indoors more since lockdown, new research has revealed today. |
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Helping smokers to quit during Covid-19
06/05/2020 Alan Sutherland calls on councils to make use of more digital tools to help smokers quit during Covid-19 |
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Around 300,000 quit smoking due to coronavirus
04/05/2020 Council leaders have welcomed figures that show around 300,000 people have quit smoking due to an increased risk from coronavirus. |
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England ‘unlikely’ to meet 2030 smoke-free target
25/02/2020 England will fail to reach the Government’s 2030 smoke-free target unless smoking in the poorest communities is tackled, research has revealed today. |
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Nearly 300 children start smoking every day, figures show
03/02/2020 Campaigners have called for tobacco manufacturers to pay to end smoking after figures show 280 children in England start smoking every day. |
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Funding cuts put 2030 smokefree target ‘at risk’
14/01/2020 Funding shortages for local tobacco control could put the 2030 smokefree target at risk, campaigners have warned today. |
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Air pollution like smoking 150 cigarettes a year, charity warns
05/12/2019 People living in areas that have high levels of air pollution have an increased risk of death equivalent to smoking over 150 cigarettes a year, charity warns. |
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Social care for smokers costing councils £720m a year
26/09/2019 Smoking-related social care is costing local authorities £720m a year, new research has revealed. |
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Smoking rates dropping at fastest rate in a decade
19/09/2019 The number of adult smokers fell by 2.2% in the first half of this year, according to the latest figures. |
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Over one billion fewer cigarettes smoked each year, charity says
29/08/2019 More than a billion fewer cigarettes smoked each year, although campaigners argue this number could be higher if stop smoking service cuts were reversed. |
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Prevention green paper blasted as ‘shopping list of half-complete ideas’
23/07/2019 Local authority leaders have criticised the Government’s prevention green paper as a ‘missed opportunity’ which neglects the role councils play in delivering public health services. |
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Criminals making £100m a year from London’s illegal tobacco trade
28/06/2019 Illegal tobacco trade in London is bringing crime into communities and undermining stop smoking efforts, London Councils has warned today. |
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Over 500,000 social housing tenants in poverty due to smoking
27/06/2019 Over half a million social housing tenants are living in poverty due to the cost of smoking, anti-smoking campaigners say. |
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Council proposes introducing more smoke-free spaces
12/04/2019 Derbyshire residents could soon be asked to decide on whether they want more smoke-free places in their county. |
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Councils forced to slash stop smoking services
15/03/2019 Government cuts mean only half of local authorities now offer smokers the best support to quit, according to campaigners. |
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Very few young people regularly vape, report finds
27/02/2019 Only a small proportion of young people are regularly using e-cigarettes, according to the findings of a new report. |
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Plan to help problem drinkers and smokers unveiled
07/01/2019 All problem drinkers and smokers that are admitted to hospital will be given extra support under new NHS prevention measures. |
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Councils urged to reduce smoking in social housing
20/11/2018 Councils have been urged to help drive down smoking rates after research revealed smoking is twice as common in social housing than in other tenures. |
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One person every 80 seconds stopped smoking last year
20/09/2018 More than a million people have stopped smoking in England since 2014, new figures have revealed. |
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Council to review vaping scheme after exploitation accusation
10/09/2018 A deal between Birmingham City Council and a multi-national tobacco company to promote e-cigarettes has been branded 'a disgrace' by a government minister. |
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Government urged to relax regulations around use of e-cigarettes
17/08/2018 The Government should relax regulations surrounding e-cigarettes and reconsider their use in public places, MPs have urged today. |
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Nine out of ten councils forced to cut health services, study reveals
02/05/2018 Nine out of 10 councils have cut spending on public health services in response to Government reductions to their budgets. |
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Stop smoking services should recommend use of e-cigarettes, health body says
06/02/2018 Local stop smoking services and healthcare professionals should provide behavioural support to those smokers wanting to quit with the help of an e-cigarette, public health body says. |
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Just one cigarette a day increases risk of heart disease and stroke
25/01/2018 Councils have called for a reversal of public health cuts after research highlighted the danger of people smoking just one cigarette a day. |
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Public health cuts undermine support for smokers
15/01/2018 Cuts in public health grants have led to a ‘dramatic’ change in local services aimed at helping people quit smoking, according to anti-smoking campaigners. |
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Sales of vape starter kits soar by 29% as NHS Stoptober campaign embraces e-cigarettes
01/11/2017 The latest sales figures show that Public Health England’s new harm reduction approach to decreasing smoking rates across the UK has not only been widely accepted, but capitalised upon this Stoptober. |
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Quitting at ‘decade high’ as smokers prepare for Stoptober
28/09/2017 Those who wish to quit smoking are preparing for a month without tobacco as new figures reveal quitting success rates are at their highest for ‘at least a decade’. |
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Number of smoker drops by 1.9 million since ban
03/07/2017 The number of smokers in Britain has fallen by 1.9 million since the smoking ban was introduced ten years ago, new figures have revealed. |
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Young adults turning away from cigarettes, figures suggest
15/06/2017 The percentage of young adults who smoke in England has fallen by over 5% in the last five years, new figures show. |
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Welsh Assembly passes 'radical' health bill
17/05/2017 Councils will be required to publish a ‘local toilets strategy’ and ban smoking in playgrounds after a radical new Bill was approved in Wales. |
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Council rolls out voluntary smoking ban in play areas
21/04/2017 A voluntary smoking ban across 80 children’s play areas has been rolled out by Oxford City Council following a successful three-month trial. |
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Smoking-related illnesses cost councils £760m a year
30/01/2017 Local authorities in England face a bill of £760m a year to help people with smoking-related illnesses stay in their own homes, campaigners say. |
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Stop Smoking Services: 'Don't Quit on Us'
09/01/2017 Philip Brownlie explains why all councillors should help call for more funding to enable councils to run effective Stop Smoking Services. |
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Vaping products included in tobacco council survey
18/11/2016 E-cigarettes and products associated with vaping have been included in a survey of the activity of council trading standards teams for the first time. |
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Six out of ten councils forced to cut stop smoking services
16/11/2016 Six out of ten councils have been forced to reduce their Stop Smoking Services in the past year due to funding cuts, according to new research. |
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Experts issue warning over 'exploding' e-cigarettes
10/10/2016 Cheap and imported vaping kits have led to an increase in the number of smokers injured by ‘exploding’ devices, health experts have warned. |
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Parks should be ‘no smoking zones’ to protect children, experts say
26/09/2016 Local authorities should ban smoking in areas where children play or learn, environmental health professionals urge. |
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City of Edinburgh Council cleans up with ballot bin
15/09/2016 Edinburgh has adopted an innovative way of discouraging smokers from discarding their cigarette butts on the ground—the ballot bin. |
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Calderdale considers banning smoking outside council buildings
06/09/2016 Smoking could soon be banned outside council buildings, under new plans being considered by Calderdale Council. |
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Retailers ‘flout’ laws on selling e-cigarettes to children
09/08/2016 Four in ten retailers flout the laws on nicotine inhaling products, study shows. |
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Rise in number of pregnant women giving up smoking
16/06/2016 The number of pregnant women still smoking when they give birth has fallen to the lowest level since figures were recorded. |
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Figures show hospital admissions from smoking is increasing
27/05/2016 Blackpool had the highest estimated hospital admission rate for smoking-related conditions in England in 2014-15, according to the latest figures. |
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Birmingham’s shisha bars like ‘smog-hit Beijing’
29/04/2016 Customers in some of Birmingham’s shisha bars experience pollution levels higher than those in ‘smog-hit Beijing’, report says. |
