Bolton Council to spend £400K on stop smoking services

This comes after a recent report found that smoking costs the borough an average of a staggering £95m a year in health services and lost productivity.

In response, the council has signed off on a plan to spend a £438,537 grant from the government on a range of extra local stop smoking services over the next five years.

At a meeting, council cabinet member for adults, health and wellbeing, Cllr Sean Fielding, said: “It’s £95m spent on tobacco harm that could be spend on other preventative public services or other public services in general.

“So it's obviously welcome that we’ve got some more money to invest in helping people stop smoking.”

A large haul of illegal tobacco seized by Bolton Council back in 2021 (Image: Bolton Council)

He added: “We want to be spending as much of this as possible on services to help people and not just on paying salaries at town hall.”

Cllr Fielding thanked council officers for the work they had done in preparing the report on smoking in Bolton and in promoting services to help people quit.

The report said that the borough received a total of £438,537 from the government to fund extra local stop smoking services for the next five years.

The council will now give £339,537 of funding for the ABL Locally Commissioned Stop Smoking Service with £50,000 for The Allen Carr Easyway Method which provides online seminars.

There will also be £6,000 for BHA for Equality and £43,000 Internal Communication and Contingency Fund.

Cllr Fielding, who represents Breightmet, said it was “very positive” that efforts would be made in more deprived areas to tackle smoking.

Major opposition spokesperson for adults, health and wellbeing Cllr John Walsh said: “I concur that we need to be spending the money on the front line.

“And that’s getting the message across directly, I think that’s hugely important.”

But Cllr Walsh, who represents Astley Bridge, also asked how this would be tied into the council’s enforcement actions against shops selling illicit tobacco or selling it to underaged children.

Minor opposition spokesperson Cllr Samantha Williamson, who represents Horwich South and Blackrod, also asked how this would tie in with tackling illegal vape sales to youngsters.

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She said: “I note the fact that we’ve now got 11-year-old vapers as opposed to 14-year-old smokers.”

In response council officers said that they would continue to work with their colleagues in the place directorate and regulatory services to tackle shops selling tobacco illicitly.

They also said that they would continue to provide advice and guidance to schools on underaged vape use.

Cllr Fielding approved the plans to spend the grant on the various stop smoking projects.