Council vows fight against tobacco harm

A spokesman said the move confirmed the county council’s dedication to protecting their local communities from the harm caused by smoking.

Coun Joyce Bosnjak, chair of the Nottinghamshire Health and Wellbeing Board said: “We take tackling tobacco incredibly seriously, both in terms of the damage that it causes to the health of individuals and the wider impact it has on our communities.

“This is why I am so pleased that we have been able to make our commitment official by signing the Local Government Declaration.

“We have made good progress in reducing the number of people across Nottinghamshire that smoke, but still have a way to go.

“Particularly in those areas where we know more people smoke.”

Statistics show smoking leads to around 1,300 deaths a year in the county and costs our economy over £200m each year. Its ill-effects are known to disproportionately affect the health outcomes of people in more deprived areas.

Coun Bosnjak: “We are doing a lot of work to support people to quit smoking, but also want to do more to help prevent young people from starting in the first place. Signing the Declaration helps us focus our minds on tackling these issues as a whole Council.”