News alert / Stop smoking services funding

The government has allocated £70m for stop smoking services and support in every local authority in England – more than double the current funding available. Stop smoking services include one-to-one and group sessions and access to information and advice, as well as aids such as skin patches, inhalators, sprays, chewing gum and lozenges. The new funding will support around 360,000 people to quit smoking. It will be ring-fenced for these services, with allocations calculated to ensure local authorities with the highest smoking rates receive additional weighted funding. The government has also published a command paper setting out the proposed actions it will take to tackle smoking and youth vaping.