Bassetlaw signs tobacco control declaration

The Council, along with Bassetlaw Place Based Partnership, have re-signed the Nottinghamshire County and Nottingham City declaration on tobacco control, which aims to support people to quit, prevents the uptake of smoking and reduces exposure to second hand smoke through clean air zones.

The Declaration is also a way of recognising and formalising the work of the Council in protecting and promoting the health and well-being of their employees and residents.

Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing, Cllr Lynne Schuller said: “Smoking contributes to lost productivity, poor health outcomes and contributes to early deaths. The Declaration aligns with our 2040 vision in which we are working to improve the health of our communities.”

“We work closely with the Integrated Care Board and Bassetlaw Place Based Partnership to deliver a wide range of health improvements, and delivering the combined aims of the tobacco control declaration will form part of this work stream.”

Bassetlaw District Council and Bassetlaw Place Based Partnership are members of The Nottingham and Nottinghamshire’s Strategic Smoking and Tobacco Alliance.

It has a clear, shared ambition to see smoking amongst adults reduced to 5% or lower by 2035. It also wants to make the harms of smoking a thing of the past and for our next generation, such that all of those born in 2022, to be non-smokers by their 18th birthday in 2040.

Helen Azar, Place Programme Manager said: “This declaration supports Bassetlaw Place Based Partnership’s commitment to working with local partners, including Bassetlaw District Council, to improve the health and wellbeing of local residents and reduce the risk of premature deaths and disease within our communities.”

Smoking can affect the health of our communities, with estimated deaths from smoking and tobacco of around 1,124 people in the county each year, it is also the biggest contributor to health inequalities.

Levels of smoking during pregnancy in Bassetlaw are also worse than the England average. 1 in 10 pregnant women were smokers (9.5%) at the time of delivery in 2022-2023 in comparison to the national average of 8.8%.

Self-refer help here: https://yourhealthnotts.co.uk/support/stop-smoking/