Grant of £200,000 to persuade smokers to give up

A council has accepted a £200,000 grant to step up its anti-smoking drive to try and persuade people to give up.

Burnley has one of the highest rates of smokers in Lancashire with nearly a fifth of people lighting up.

Councillors in the town have authorised the spending of a £200,000 public health grant from Lancashire County Council to step up its campaigning.

Burnley Council said it had taken the money "to further engage with communities in relation to the wider determinants of health including smoking cessation".

The decision followed consideration of a council report, seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, which said: "Smoking rates vary significantly across Lancashire from 9.2 per cent in the Ribble Valley to 19.6 per cent in Burnley.

"The impact of smoking is extensive across our communities and is closely linked to health inequalities.

"Smokers have a recorded life expectancy that is at least 10 years shorter than non-smokers, with the effects being more pronounced among disadvantaged groups."

Lancashire County Council has allocated funding to the three districts with the highest smoking prevalence - Lancaster, Preston and Burnley.

The report added: "Burnley's proposal is to work with the voluntary, community and faith sector provision over a two-year period, identifying and supporting community champions to foster collaboration to address key health and housing challenges."

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