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** 8 August 2019
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** UK
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** Waltham Forest Council leader backs calls for fairer public funding (#1)
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** Call for help in illegal tobacco fight in Warwickshire (#2)
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** International
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** France: Campaign #FillTheBottle aims to tidy up cigarette butts (#3)
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** UK
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**

Cllr Clare Coghill, Leader of Waltham Forest Council, has joined forces with over a third of upper tier council leaders across England to back Cancer Research UK’s call for the new Government to increase public health funding.

The number of people with cancer in the UK is set to rise steeply by 2030, yet research shows 4 in 10 cancer cases could be prevented through changes such as stopping smoking, being active and reducing their weight. Public health funding enables councils to provide vital services that help residents reduce their risk. Many council leaders have joined forces, writing to Chancellor Sajid Javid, Health Secretary Matt Hancock and Local Government Secretary Robert Jenrick, calling for a joined-up solution to tackling the public health funding crisis.

George Butterworth, Senior Policy Manager at Cancer Research UK, said: “Smoking is the biggest preventable cause of cancer, and councils play a crucial role in stopping people from starting smoking and helping smokers to quit. Yet the funding earmarked to support these important activities has continued to be cut.”

“Sadly, only 56% of councils are now able to commission a universal specialist service open to all local smokers. These cuts make no sense, when we know that on average every £1 spent on smoking cessation saves £10 in future health costs. If this Government wants to realise a smoke-free England by 2030, they urgently need to give councils a fairer deal on public health funding.”

Cllr Ian Hudspeth, Chair of the Local Government Association Community Wellbeing Board, said: “When so many council Leaders from up and down the country, and across political parties, join forces on an issue, you know it’s time to sit up and take notice. Councils have proven that they’re best-placed to deliver services and reduce ill health- but it can’t be done on a shoestring. I hope our new Prime Minister and his Cabinet are listening and ready to act.”

“Once public health gets a fair funding deal, we should see healthier communities, the Government’s prevention ambitions realised, and a much more sustainable NHS and social care system which puts prevention over cure.”

Source: Waltham Forest Council, 7 August 2019

See also:
ASH and Cancer Research UK. A changing landscape: stop smoking services and tobacco control in England. ([link removed]) March 2019
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** People are being urged to help the fight against the sale of illegal cigarettes and tobacco in Warwickshire. Trading standards officers in the county have seized thousands of pounds of counterfeit and smuggled tobacco products in the past year. They have also brought a number of successful prosecutions.

Warwickshire County Council Trading Standards is appealing to residents and businesses to help them tackle the organised criminal gangs responsible for distributing and selling illegal tobacco by reporting them in confidence by calling 0300 303 2636.

County community spokesman Councillor Andy Crump said: “Far from being a victimless crime, the trade in illegal tobacco creates a cheap source for children and young people. Whilst all tobacco is harmful, the illegal tobacco market, and in particular the availability of cheap cigarettes, undermines government health policies aimed at reducing the cost to the NHS of treating diseases caused by smoking. The loss to the tax payer means less money being spent on local communities, schools and the NHS. It’s important that anyone suspicious of tobacco crime should get in touch.’’

Source: Leamington Observer, 8 August 2019
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** International
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**

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** Cigarette butts are thought to be the most common form of litter around the globe. But a campaign launched by a group of French teenagers to tidy them up has highlighted their environmental impact. Amel Talha launched the hashtag #FillTheBottle after a friend collected cigarette butts in a water bottle and posted a photo on Twitter.

Filters - which make up the ends or butts of the cigarette - are made of cellulose acetate, a synthetic product that is commercially derived from wood pulp. It has also been used to make magnetic tape, frames for glasses, and even the original Lego toy bricks.

"People think cigarettes are biodegradable," Nicola Boon at charity Keep Britain Tidy tells the BBC. "They know they're toxic, but they think the toxins disappear magically." In fact, the charity says that, depending on conditions, it can take anywhere from 18 months to 10 years for the butts to entirely break down. This means cigarettes dropped on the street, stubbed out on the beach or put down drains can cause pollution for years.
Source: BBC News, 8 August 2019

See also:
Ecotoxicology and environmental safety. Cigarette butts have adverse effects on initial growth of perennial ryegrass (gramineae: Lolium perenne L.) and white clover (leguminosae: Trifolium repens L.). ([link removed]) July 2019
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For more information call 020 7404 0242, email [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) or visit www.ash.org.uk

ASH Daily News is a digest of published news on smoking-related topics. ASH is not responsible for the content of external websites. ASH does not necessarily endorse the material contained in this bulletin.

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