Councils lead a culture change on smoking

Sunday, August 19, 2007

The community leadership role of local authorities means they are well placed to ensure the smoking ban contributes to health and wellbeing, says Mick Henry

Smoking is acknowledged as one of this country’s biggest causes of health inequalities. It is responsible for half of the difference in life expectancy between the highest and the lowest socio-economic groups.

The Department of Health estimates that smoking causes 106,000 deaths annually in the UK - one in five of all deaths - with smokers losing an average of 16 years of their life.

The North East has the poorest health of any region in the country. More than 35 people per year die from passive smoking in the North East, while the region has high rates of coronary heart disease and cancers, diseases known to be related to smoking and exposure to smoke. This includes lung cancer rates of up to 80 per cent higher than the national average.

An average of 28 per cent of the population of the region smoke, compared to a national average of around 24 per cent. The figure is above 50 per cent of the population in some wards.

So the region has a lot to gain from the implementation of smokefree legislation on 1 July, not least the fact that hundreds of thousands of people will no longer be exposed to second-hand smoke in public places and workplaces. This legislation will save lives and actively contribute to the improvement of the health and wellbeing of a substantial number of people across the region.

The Association of North East Councils successfully lobbied for the adoption of smokefree legislation with the minimum of exemptions. It, and the 25 local authorities of the North East that it represents, are determined to ensure that the legislation will be successfully enforced.

Experience elsewhere has shown that going smokefree is popular. Public opinion surveys have shown that the legislation is wanted by the majority of people and has been a great success in Ireland and Scotland. Indeed, one year after the introduction of smokefree legislation in Ireland, 93 per cent of the public thought it was a good idea, including 80 per cent of smokers.
Going smokefree has also proved to be workable.

If the preparation is good, the legislation is almost self-enforcing. This scenario, with people’s attitudes and behaviour changing to embrace a culture of no second-hand smoke in the workplace and enclosed public places, is what we should be striving to achieve.

Given their role representing citizens and leading communities, it is entirely appropriate that local authorities have been entrusted with the responsibility for implementing and enforcing the new legislation. It also important that they have been funded to take on this role as the capacity of councils to take on new responsibilities is not inexhaustible. Local authorities are, of course, experienced at enforcing many other pieces of legislation which contribute to improving health, such as ensuring food is safe, the reduction of noise nuisance and licensing.

The approach of North East local authorities to implementing smokefree legislation is one of supporting and guiding businesses and promoting knowledge of the regulations and the health benefits, for example, through promoting the smokefree message on council websites or creating smokefree implementation posts. There are good partnerships with the business community and the voluntary sector. Local authorities are also sharing good practice to achieve consistency.

The innovative regional tobacco control office, Fresh (Smoke Free North East), and the association have also helped councils share experience and expertise through events and the dissemination of information and advice. When it comes to enforcement, our approach must be proportionate; a flurry of penalty notices will not indicate success. Indeed, only when we have exhausted all avenues of support and persuasion must we consider legal action.

In Gateshead, we will use about 80 per cent of our funding on support for businesses in their preparation for 1 July, rather than on enforcement staff. But welcome though this legislation is, it will not do everything. All agencies, including central government, must continue to act, through taxation and other measures.

Local authorities must, of course, continue their leadership role on the issue. Local Area Agreements are one such important leadership tool that could be used to ensure that a reduction in smoking is reflected in agreements between councils and their partners. This is particularly important in areas like the North East but all local authorities should remember the contribution of smoking to health inequalities and to consider focusing differentially on wards with the highest levels.

North East local government remains committed to contributing to the overall goal of reducing the average number of smokers to 21 per cent of the population by 2010. This is ambitious, but successful implementation of smokefree legislation will be crucial to achieving it, and to improving the health and wellbeing of the people of this region.

Councillor Mick Henry is chairman of the Association of North East Councils