More than £2.5 million will be spent on boosting stop smoking services on the Island as the Isle of Wight Council signs up to create a smokefree generation. It is in line with the Government’s plans to make smoking obsolete across the country with the money specifically allocated to increase smoking cessation and prevention services. Figures from 2022 determined around 9.5% of adults on the Islanders smoked, including approximately 9% of pregnant women. The current services provided by Smokefree Island help more than 500 smokers quit each year and prevents children and young people from taking up the habit. Speaking at the council’s cabinet meeting on Thursday, Simon Bryant, the Isle of Wight’s public health director, said there had been some complacency around smoking, with smokers not considering it a key health issue. He said the money will help the council increase its services and signing up to the declaration shows ‘our really strong commitment’. The council said smoking continues to be the single most preventable cause of ill health and premature death on the Island as well as the main driver of health inequalities. It revealed that every year 612 Islanders die and a further 1,381 residents are admitted to hospital because of smoking. A total of £2,547,480 will be given to the Isle of Wight Council over the next 7 years to expand the core smoking cessation offer and will encourage other partners on the Island to follow suit and push towards a smokefree 2030. Councillor Debbie Andre, the cabinet member for adult social care, said the council really wants to support those who want to quit smoking as it is an issue which affects a wide range of people across the Island. She said there would be a range of interventions including vaping but stressed they actively discouraged vaping by those who do not smoke. The money will help provide effective ways to tackle smoking through a comprehensive and collaborative approach, Cllr Andre said. The council has also signed up to the ‘Local Government Declaration on Tobacco Control’ which is a public statement of the council’s commitment to action on tobacco control and protect residents from the harm caused by smoking.
COUNCIL TO SPEND £2.5MILLION ON STOP SMOKING SERVICES FOR ISLANDERS
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More and more we the people are being told that there is no money for core services. This is why! Far too much money being thrown at inadequates and woke schemes left, right and centre. If these rhetoric spouting fools were serious about the dangers of smoking then just ban it! Stop spending my taxes on addicts, wonkies and idiots.
Smoking-related diseases are the single biggest drain on NHS services. Stop people smoking and free up more NHS services for those that need them who are mainly obese and alcohol-dependent. Maybe you would also like to ration food to prevent obesity and ban alcohol in order to further reduce the burden on the NHS?
Possibly because the like the obese need diabetes treatments, smokers need lung, COPD, cancer, vascular treatments. I know, we’ll carry on paying 1000 times the amount this initiative will spend on prevention cos that really makes sense, and satisfies your feelings of ‘it’s not fair’.
Where do I sign up? I’ve had enough of smoking and I’ve tried so many times to quit
Waste of money,just have some bloody will power and stop,after 25 years of smoking i did exactly that!
Truth is, the saving in health care for those stopping smoking, will be more than lost on having to pay them all a pension for far longer, and funding things like hip, knee, and other operations and health care as they live far longer.
So a negative saving, and there is not enough care homes now, so with more living longer just adding to the problem.
Very good point. On that basis we need a cull of the healthy, just in case. What age do you suggest…or from birth maybe? No need to pay for kids education then!
Maybe you should get some work as a motivational speaker with that line. The fact that it took you 25 years to give up shows how difficult it is to kick this highly addictive drug.
It didnt take 25 years to give up,i gave up because i wanted to,and it was easier than i thought.
i didnt say anywhere in my comment that i took 25 years to give up,maybe you should read things that people comment more thoroughly?
Look Jonny, you smoked for 25 years because you had an addiction to nicotine like every smoker. I suspect that you made many attempts to give up but only gave up in the end for health reasons or the cost. Giving up smoking is not easy. It is a disgusting habit and the only reason people smoke is because it is highly addictive. Inhaling smoke is not pleasurable. The pleasure comes from nicotine fooling your brain. Many people need help giving up so don’t act like it is easy. Smoking for 25 years shows that you had an addiction problem.
I did the same. Easier than I thought, all in the mind.
Another waste of our hard earned council tax! If the IWC were really serious about stopping people smoking they’d put a local tax on packs, doubling the cost. Any money raised that way they could donate to local lung cancer support services. This would cost the rest of us nothing.
Yes, fancy having to part with actual real money to protect children from the illnesses generated by the profits of tobacco companies. And to THINK they want to do that with junk food too, to stop kids getting heart disease, diabetes and cancer. I’m shocked, Whatever next.
“part with actual real money to protect children from the illnesses generated by the profits of tobacco companies”
I think you’ve hit the nail on the head there…
We,the public, shouldn’t be parting with any money,.. The ‘Profits’ created from the cause of the problem should be taken to pay for the solution…
as with most things in the modern world,.. the constant greed based philosophy of doing anything to maximise profits for the (already) super rich people and companies, is really the reason why everything is so bad,.. and constantly getting worse.
But alas,..the CONservatives will never do anything that eats into the Profits of their friends benefactors… so as long as people keep voting for them, it’ll never change.
Whoa.. It is profits from companies which pay the taxes to fund all the ignorant or selfish poor who choose to have children by not using the FREE contraception available to them.
And WHY do they not use such?
Because they would then have to work a full week, pay their full rent and council tax, and so selfishly choose to have children, to gain an easier life all paid for by others.
If this sort were given as much as the wealthy they so despise, they would waste the lot within a year and be back holding the new electronic benefit bank transfer begging bowl to be filled by the graft of others once more.
Hi Wightlink, please be aware that other stupid ‘woah’ comment was not in fact from me, I’m being trolled by John Bond who somehow thinks it’s funny. (I’m the one with the sarcastic ‘real money’ comment. And yes, I agree with you entirely. For them to win others must therefore lose. It’s a zero-sum game played neatly for decades. Time people caught on and we pressed reset.
Its not coming from Council Tax Read the article
Smoking, drinking, drugs, unhealthy food, are all choices people make, money won’t change that. The individual has to make those choices and they will only do it if they really want to.
I am pretty sure there are much better ways to spend a couple of million quid on this rock that would benefit people who are not making bad choices. And before the bleeding hearts start, i am a smoker and that is my bad choice.
You are wrong. Many taxes are applied to pay for the ill health caused by smoking, drinking, and overeating. It is called social engineering. .
I have just started smoking again after stopping for seven years. I started again after getting so depressed with the state of our bloody councillors getting charged with drinking offences wasting our taxes on the floating bridge, the state of our ferries I have to have some relief to calm me down!
So I have never smoked in my life what do I get given for free?
A longer life pal because smoking takes years off your life.
What a complete waste of money.
The uneducated who smoke and Vape will not change their ways.
Majority of the smokers and vapers are using their benefit money to
buy such products.
STOP selling such products in the first place is the only way to help.
You are wasting your time and our money.
Also fine establishments who let people Vape inside premises.
Sandown Pier allow Vaping, even staff vape inside.
So people who smoke are both uneducated and on benefits according to you.
Take a look out the front of the hospitals around the country, those are doctors and nurses smoking.
Smoking is done by people of all walks of life, don’t be so narrow minded.
Is this the same Numpty Council who cannot STOP
Vehicles parking on Double Yellow Lines outside Sandown Pier.
Cannot STOP vehicles turning into the NO right turn from the Esplanade Ryde
into George Street.
Cannot STOP vehicles parking on the pavement along Regent Street, Shanklin.
Cannot STOP Numpty’s parking on NO waiting cones along
Perowne Way.
They couldn’t STOP a Bus at a Bus stop!
Lol
That seems a lot off money up in smoke there,no wonder we are nearly bankrupt
Stop inpatients going to the front door in their PJ’s for a fag , by the time they get out of hospital they’ll have stopped smoking! Simples
I would love to see a ban and fines on throwing down their cigarette ends. Education on the topic is badly needed.
Yet another waste of our money being thrown at those who already know they shouldn’t smoke. This council is always bleating about having no money yet pours another £2.5million down the drain. Unfortunately, we are stuck with these useless Independents for at least another year.
Nicotine is good for you, research has also found that smokers were less susceptible to covid. Nicotine is also in aubergine, potato, peppers and no one is addicted to those. In the past the cig makers added addictive substances so they could sell more cigs, so best to grow your own, dry it, smoke it, but you can’t sell it because the gov will tax you!