Purpose

Smoking remains one of the leading causes of preventable death
and disease in the UK and the main driver of health inequalities.
There is a new additional government investment to support local stop smoking
services.This allocation is part of the
government’s announcement to create a ‘smokefree
generation’.Ealing council has expressed
strong support for the proposed new law to raise the legal age at
which people can legally buy tobacco products, by a year each year
from 2027, so that no one presently under the age of 14 would ever
legally be able to be sold a cigarette. As outlined in our vision
for Ealing Council’s Council Plan, we are committed to doing
everything we can to reduce inequalities and improve the health and
wellbeing of our residents.
 
The government has indicated that
they cannot provide specific allocations for 2025 to 2026 and
beyond at this stage. However, the government has already confirmed
in November 2023 additional funding nationally of £70 million
a year for 5 years, from 2024 to 2025 through to 2028 to 2029.
Allocations are likely to continue to be based on the average
smoking prevalence over a 3-year period to ensure the allocations
are based on the most robust and recent data. One of the key criteria to
receive the funding is to maintain existing spend on stop smoking
service. This
funding will also support wider tobacco control policies and
efforts to reduce youth vaping, such as for local awareness-raising
campaigns. However, the majority of the funding will be focused
on stop smoking services and support.