Tobacco control plan for Walsall to be considered at Cabinet

A plan to provide a coordinated approach to tobacco control will be considered at a meeting of Cabinet on 13 December 2023.

The Tobacco Control Plan for Walsall (2023-2027) builds on the previous plan for 2016-2019. It aims to establish a comprehensive approach to tobacco control, ensuring Walsall stays on track to achieve the national 2030 Smokefree ambition and to reduce the harm caused by illicit tobacco and maximise the health and wellbeing of Walsall residents. 

The Plan will seek to implement a combination of actions focused on: effective leadership and partnerships, enhanced local regulation and enforcement, helping residents to quit smoking, preventing children from starting to smoke and enhancing services to target those in greatest need. 

In addition, Cabinet will consider approval for the Council to sign up to the Local Government Declaration for Tobacco Control. The declaration was relaunched on No Smoking Day 2022 (9 March 2022) to bring it into line with the Government’s ambition for England to be smoke free by 2030. Since it was launched in May 2013, over 120 councils across the country have signed the declaration. If approved, the signing will take place in early 2024.

Councillor Garry Perry, Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Resilient Communities at Walsall Council, said:

“We are pleased to be supporting the Tobacco Control Plan. Smoking not only impacts on health, but it also impacts the local economy where we are seeing illicit tobacco and vapes becoming accessible and available. 

“For us to deliver this plan, we need to work together and we are committed to doing so, with our partner organisations, to improve the health and wellbeing of people of all ages living across the borough.

“We hope this plan will bring Walsall closer to its aims to reduce smoking prevalence to lower than the regional average by 2027 and be on track to achieve the national 2030 Smokefree ambition.”

Councillor Gary Flint, Portfolio Holder for Wellbeing, Leisure and Public Spaces at Walsall Council, said: 

“Smoking is the leading preventable cause of ill-health and premature death nationally. It is also the single, largest driver of health inequalities in England. Our ambition is to inspire a smoke-free generation in Walsall. 

“Although we have seen a steady decline in people smoking, there is still more work to be done.

“The Plan will provide support to both residents and the local economy to reduce the harms caused by smoking and vaping in a number of ways, such as providing clear information about the dangers, providing access to stop smoking services and tackling illicit tobacco and vaping products.”