Five Years To Become Smokefree
The UK has five years to go to the government’s 2030 smoke free target; a new study from leading ecig company Vape Club reveals the areas likely to hit it
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by Dave Cross
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With just 5 years to go to reach the government’s Smokefree 2030 target, data from a new study by leading ecig company Vape Club has revealed the areas in the UK that are set to officially become ‘smokefree’ in 2025. This is reached as the number of active smokers dips below the government threshold of 5% or lower adult smoking prevalence rate.
According to the second sitting of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill at the beginning of this month, £70 million has been invested by the government to promote smoking cessation and make everyone aware of the Smokefree 2030 target ambitions.
The new data, collated and analysed by Vape Club, found that only one in four local UK authorities are set to meet the target. The figures reveal that, if recent trends continue, the UK would likely not hit its target until mid-way through 2039.
Where in the UK is set to officially become Smokefree in 2025?
Areas such as Bromsgrove, Adur and Richmond-upon-Thames are all set to meet the 2030 smokefree target in the next five months, over four years ahead of schedule.
The regions join a short list of unitary authorities, mostly across the Midlands and the South East of England, to have already met the ‘smokefree’ threshold. The Vale of White Horse, in Oxfordshire, was the first local district to hit the target 4 years ago. Other areas such as St Albans and South Staffordshire have also successfully hit the target.
Where is more support needed to hit the Smokefree 2030 target?
Several major cities are projected to narrowly miss the 2030 smokefree target based on year-on-year trends. Manchester, Cardiff, and Edinburgh, among others, are on track to achieve smokefree status by 2032, just two years beyond the target.
Meanwhile, cities like Birmingham face a significant challenge, currently estimated to be 43 years away from hitting the goal. Nottingham and Blackpool, both 24 years behind schedule, highlight the urgent need for additional support and government intervention in some areas, to reduce smoking prevalence below 5% within the next five years.
Dan Marchant, Director of Vape Club, says: “Whilst we have seen an overall national decline in smoking rates, reaching its lowest points since records began, it’s concerning that only 25% of UK authorities are on track to meet the UK government’s Smokefree 2030 target. Significant gaps remain in the national strategy to reduce smoking rates.
“According to the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, vaping can have a huge impact on improving a smoker’s chance of successfully kicking the cigarette habit. By ignoring the positive impact of vaping, we risk undoing years of forward steps to reduce smoking prevalence in the UK. Unfortunately, we’re now seeing some smokers who might have switched to e-cigarettes are now hesitant to use it as a tool for smoking cessation due to negative coverage, with many ex-smokers even returning to smoking.
“To reverse the trend seen in the latest national statistics, we must focus on clear and fact-based education on the relative risks between vaping and smoking. Without this, we risk not only falling short of the Smokefree target but also witnessing a disturbing trend of people returning to smoking.”
References:
- Vape Club - https://www.vapeclub.co.uk/
Photo Credit:
Five Years image generated using Grok
Dave Cross
Journalist at POTVDave is a freelance writer; with articles on music, motorbikes, football, pop-science, vaping and tobacco harm reduction in Sounds, Melody Maker, UBG, AWoL, Bike, When Saturday Comes, Vape News Magazine, and syndicated across the Johnston Press group. He was published in an anthology of “Greatest Football Writing”, but still believes this was a mistake. Dave contributes sketches to comedy shows and used to co-host a radio sketch show. He’s worked with numerous start-ups to develop content for their websites.
