Agenda item

Smoking is still the single biggest cause of premature death and disease nationally and locally. Life expectancy varies in Bath & North East Somerset by up to 6.3 years for men in the most deprived areas and by 3.5 years for women. Smoking accounts for approximately half this difference in life expectancy. The existing B&NES Tobacco Control Strategy Breathing Free was written in 2006. Significant progress has been made nationally, regionally and locally since then and it is appropriate now to update local strategy in the light of this and set priorities which are in line with the new opportunities for public health and the changing local landscape within public services.

The Wellbeing Policy Development and Scrutiny Panel is asked to agree that:

·  The draft B&NES Tobacco Control Strategy is supported and taken forward for endorsement by B&NES Health and Wellbeing Board.

·  The Strategy is refreshed in 2016 to update priorities and recommendations to ensure relevance to emerging local, regional and national issues.

The Chairman invited Cathy McMahon (Public Health Development and Commissioning Manager) to introduce the report.

The Chairman also welcomed Bruce Laurence (Director of Public Health).

The Chairman commented that information presented on page 161 should specify that the statistics presented on that page are national statistics and not for the area.

Councillor Lisa Brett asked if the Council has an approach about e-cigarette advertising.

Cathy McMahon said that the Council has no policy about advertising e-cigarettes.  The Council has smoking policy which guides the staff about the use of e-cigarettes.  The Public Health Team and Tobacco Action Network discussed approach to e-cigarettes with regional colleagues and they will not be promoted as they are non-regulated (as a medicine) unlicensed product.  Not a part of stop smoking initiative.

Councillor Brett added that the Council should ensure that e-cigarettes don’t get advertised on bus shelters and any other public displays.

Jane Shayler added that the Council has just started enabling advertising on its website with some very clear boundaries and certain products and services are explicitly excluded from advertising.  Jane Shayler said that she is not sure that exclusion does cover e-cigarettes though.

Councillor Tony Clarke commented that problem with e-cigarettes is that they perpetuate the image of smoking and the main problem is the issue of children seeing this product (e-cigarettes) being used in their surroundings.

The Chairman agreed with the views from Councillors Brett and Clarke by saying that this could also be used by tobacco companies using to persuade people to try this. 

The Chairman suggested that the Panel should make a recommendation that the Council don’t engage with any advertising of e-cigarettes in any guise.  The Panel agreed with this recommendation and requested from Public Health officers to communicate Panel’s wishes to the Council.

Councillor Sarah Bevan said that those e-cigarettes might work for her (as a smoker) or other smokers as it fulfils some of the triggers that make people think they need to smoke and dismissing the advertising, especially by those who don’t know how it feels to be addicted, is a bit drastic.

The Chairman said that the idea is for the Panel to make a recommendation to the Council not to engage in advertising of these products.  If people choose e-cigarettes as a way of terminating smoking habits then it is their choice but it doesn’t need to be advertised as it could be recommended quietly by somebody. The Chairman also said that the Council should not participate in promoting these products for general release.  Effectively, it could encourage children to try these products.

Cathy McMahon said that the advertising of tobacco products is what the Public Health team is worried about, especially in how that looks to children.  The Public Health team is also aware that some e-cigarettes are flavoured that makes them taste like strawberry or lemon or similar which makes people try them.  So far there was no evidence that children are using these products in a way into smoking as yet (survey done by charity).  But children copy adults and that is an issue.

Councillor Michael Evans commented that these products contain nicotine so in terms of the health view they are helping continuation of addiction.

Cathy McMahon agreed with Councillor Evans though added that these are lot less harmful than real cigarettes.

Bruce Laurence said that e-cigarettes can help some people to stop smoking.  There is a discussion on the approach to e-cigarettes.  Bruce Laurence welcomed that the Council signed the declaration at the last full Council to combat smoking.

Councillor Bevan commented that she can see that the debate is on protecting children on trying those e-cigarettes which could lead them becoming addictive to nicotine.  Although, those people who are smokers, and tried everything to stop smoking, should not be ignored and these products can help them.

Councillor Clarke asked if the Public Health team thought of writing to Bath Chronicle about the picture on the ‘best smoking area outside the pub’ competition.  Councillor Clarke added that he was appalled by Bath Chronicle actions.

Cathy McMahon took that comment and board by saying it is a good suggestion.

Councillor Eleanor Jackson commented that it is deeply depressing that there are zones in the RUH that are smoking areas, where patients are wheeled in their wheelchairs to have a cigarette.  Councillor Jackson added that the report didn’t mention that some people regular smokers, some smoke because they are under stress and some because they received some bad news and see smoking as escape so the report should mention these issues. 

Councillor Jackson also added that people who want to stop smoking cannot get appointments in GP surgeries as walk-in so there should be faster response to people who want to give up.

Councillor Jackson said that the report did not mention traveling community and/or boat dwellers under smoking and ethnicity part of the strategy and asked the officers to include traveling community and boat dwellers in the strategy.

Councillor Jackson said that she would want to see two additional recommendations in Panel’s resolution –

a.  The Panel support the amendment to the motion (passed at the Full Council meeting on 12th September 2013) about writing to local MPs requesting them to ask the Government to reinstate its proposed legislation requiring cigarettes to be marketed only in standard packages and without images provided by the tobacco companies; and

b.  The Panel ask Pension Committee to agree to divest in the tobacco industry.

Councillor Evans said that the Panel might be interfering in the business of Pensions Committee as it is outside the remit of this Panel.

Councillor Brett commented that legally Pensions Committee is not in the position to exclude any trading business from the investment.

The Chairman said that if this Panel feels strongly in not supporting the investment in tobacco industry then the Panel can make their feelings known to the Pensions Committee.

It was RESOLVED to:

1. Support the draft B&NES Tobacco Control Strategy;
2. Agree that the Strategy is refreshed in 2016 to update priorities and recommendations to ensure relevance to emerging local, regional and national issues;
3. Request that the Council do not engage with promotion and/or advertising of e-cigarettes on their website, public displays, media and similar;
4. Support the amendment to the motion (passed at the Full Council meeting on 12^th September 2013) about writing to local MPs requesting them to ask the Government to reinstate its proposed legislation requiring cigarettes to be marketed only in standard packages and without images provided by the tobacco companies; and

5.  Ask the Pensions Committee to agree to divest in the tobacco industry.