To support councils in their work to reduce smoking, the LGA, in partnership with Cancer Research UK, produced a report Tobacco control: How do you know that your council is doing all it can to reduce smoking-related harm? which lays out the importance of tobacco control and what councillors can do to reduce smoking-related harm. Suggestions include:
Stop Smoking Services
Evidence is clear that specialist Stop Smoking Services offer the most effective way for a person to successfully quit smoking. These services deliver face-to-face behavioural support, in combination with prescription medication and/or nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). This combined approach has been shown to be highly effective in improving long-term quit rates.
E-cigarettes
There is growing evidence that e-cigarettes are helping people to quit, with e-cigarettes now the most popular quit method in England. Of the estimated 3.2 million e-cigarette users in Britain, over half are ex-smokers.
Local quit campaigns
Media campaigns are highly impactful and cost-effective, both in encouraging smokers to quit and discouraging young people from taking up the habit. PHE runs mass media campaigns at a national level, but these campaigns have greater impact when complemented by targeted campaigns at a local level. Local campaigns can be tailored to priority groups or areas with high smoking prevalence as a way to address health inequalities.
Investment
Local authorities’ public health grant has been cut by 24 per cent on a real-terms per capita basis since 2015/16 (equivalent to a reduction of £1 billion). This has had an adverse effect on councils’ ability to invest in services and functions that prevent ill health, reduce health inequalities and support a sustainable health and social care system. This includes smoking cessation and tobacco control. Research by The Health Foundation showed that spending on tobacco control will have dropped by 45 per cent between 2014/15 and 2019/20 – the biggest drop in all areas of public health provision.
It was therefore very disappointing that there was no real terms increase in public health grant funding in the Autumn Budget and Spending Review, despite this incredibly challenging period. This makes it harder to improve public health, including tackling smoking related harm. Keeping people healthy and well throughout their lives reduces pressure on the NHS, social care, criminal justice and the benefits system.