Government plans to create a smokefree generation and tackle youth vaping are being backed by Durham County Council.
At a full council meeting, a motion welcoming the Government’s “Stopping the Start” consultation was moved by Cllr Cathy Hunt and received cross-party support.
It was agreed that the council will respond to the consultation in support of the Government’s proposal to raise the legal age for tobacco sales.
Endorsement of proposed new measures to tighten the promotion, packaging, branding and pricing of vapes to reduce their appeal to children and young people was also agreed.
Youth councillors Charlotte Foster, Alfie Dixon-Clark and Piotr Stelmaszczyk also attended the meeting to show their support for the motion.
The motion, which was carried without the need for a vote, reads as follows:
“Council welcomes the announcement from the Government on 4th October 2023 around a smokefree generation and the plans to stop a new generation of children and young people getting hooked on such a lethal addiction.
“Council also welcomes the subsequent consultation ‘Stopping the start – a plan to create a Smokefree generation’ which has questions around age of sale of tobacco, measures to reduce youth vaping, and enhanced enforcement. Council will continue to encourage smokers to try to quit including by an option of switching over to legal vaping.
“This council requests that the director of public health, in consultation with the Cabinet portfolio holder for adult and health services responds to the government’s consultation supporting the age of sale proposal for tobacco, and on vaping, proposing that evidence-based measures to tighten the promotion, packaging, branding, pricing of vapes to reduce appeal to children and young people are taken.”