Action on Smoking and Health & Health published Third Annual Tobacco Control Survey
The report presenting the results of the third annual survey of tobacco control leads in upper-tier local authorities in England has been published today. The report was written by ASH and commissioned by CRUK.
Key findings of the report:
Smoking cessation budgets have been cut in 59% of local authorities this year.
Budgets for wider tobacco control work, including trading standards enforcement, campaigns and tackling the illicit trade, have been cut in 45% of local authorities this year.
The 2015 in-year cut in the national public health grant and the wider cost pressures on local authority budgets were most often cited, by a majority of respondents, as the reasons for smoking cessation and tobacco control budget cuts.
There has been little change in the level priority given to tobacco control in local authorities over the three years of the survey
Active opposition to tobacco control from the leader, lead member for health and well-being or chief executive is relatively rare, reported in 6% of local authorities.
Specialist smoking cessation services are currently provided by 75% of upper-tier local authorities in England.
Overall, 88% of tobacco control leads report productive relationships with maternity services and 70% report productive relationships with mental health services but only 52% report productive relationships with acute services.
You can read the full report and access the ASH local toolkit, which contains tools and resources designed to help local public health professionals ensure that tackling tobacco use is high on the local public health agenda.
