Smoke free outdoor spaces backed in South Tyneside
Councillors have backed proposals to explore “smoke-free spaces” across town centres, beaches and play areas in South Tyneside.
Earlier this year, the Government published the Khan Review, an independent study with proposals aiming to help more people kick the habit.
A full meeting of South Tyneside Council on Thursday, October 27, heard about progress being made across the borough to implement its recommendations and further steps that could be taken.
According to figures presented to councillors, more than 15% of people in the borough still smoke, which is the second highest rate in the region and well above the England average of 12%.
Councillor Anne Hetherington, cabinet member for adults, health and wellbeing, said “good progress” was being made to reduce smoking despite attempts by tobacco companies to “derail efforts”.
A pilot scheme has already been drawn up to introduce smoke-free social care for both staff and service users in the borough, as well as support for social housing tenants and staff and workers at the authority’s Middlefields depot.
As part of a report prepared for full council, councillors were asked to consider expanding smoke-free spaces to key settings such as town centres, beaches and play areas.
The report states considering these settings would “help improve the culture and create more supportive environments for people to quit”.
It added that “other authorities have implemented smoke-free town centres, beaches, play areas, parks etc which have been largely self-enforcing via clear signage, comms and PR.”
Councillor Glenn Thompson, independent councillor and leader of the South Tyneside Alliance Group, welcomed smoke-free areas but suggested enforcement would be needed to “get this message out properly”.
Cllr Thompson continued: “In relation to current issues with anti-social behaviour, littering and dog fouling, enforcement is a problem.
“If we can’t do it for those issues how can we do it for smoking?”.
The independent councillor added it was important to cater for smokers and ensure facilities are available, as well as taking care not to “demonise” them.
Councillor David Francis, Green Group leader, said the council may need to look at investment into formal enforcement to “make sure people are observing the smoke free spaces”.
Cllr Francis added that the Tyne and Wear Pension Fund’s links to some tobacco companies should be looked at as part of the council’s tobacco control agenda moving forward.
Labour councillor John McCabe told the meeting the council had a “good record” in work to reduce smoking rates and that smoking was an “educational problem”, with children needing to be educated about “dangers and issues”.
A number of councillors also asked for clarity on the health impacts of vaping and whether it would be allowed in smoke-free zones, alongside concerns about vaping being a “gateway towards smoking” for young people.
The meeting heard that the proportion of people smoking rises steeply among some groups, including more than 45% of people with a serious mental illness and 28% of manual workers.
A pilot scheme to help people with a severe mental illness quit is already under way to help while additional funding will allow more support for smokers in routine and manual roles from next year.
Elsewhere, the council is working with the South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust to help patients kick the habit, with smokers offered free medication during their hospital stay and beyond.
Former smoker Sue Mountain, a South Shields resident who has campaigned on the tobacco control agenda at a national level, also shared her lived experience at the council meeting at South Shields Town Hall.
This included starting smoking as a child and fighting off cancer three times as an adult, with a plea for the Government to do more to protect future generations.
Sue told the meeting: “I was over the moon about the Government ambition to have a smoke-free generation by 2030 but words on their own are not enough.
“Action is needed if we want to prevent future generations like my grandchildren getting cancer.
“I don’t want people to go through what me and my family have gone through.
“I’m lucky I’m a survivor, there’s thousands that aren’t”.
Following debate, councillors endorsed the recommendations of the Khan Review.
The council also agreed to write to the Health Minister to ask the Government to publish a new Tobacco Control Plan for England, after reports it may be about to break its pledge to do so.