WORCESTERSHIRE is among the worst performing counties to be smoke-free by 2030, new figures have revealed.
Ahead of National No Smoking Day 2021 on Wednesday (March 10), research has found England will spend more than £130billion extra on smoking-related services due to failing to meet the 2030 smoke-free target.
In 2019 the UK government set out a target to achieve ‘Smoke-free’ status by 2030. The latest data from Public Health England reveals 97 per cent of England will miss this target, with just four out of 135 counties on track to meet it; Hammersmith and Fulham, Westminster, Wirral and Sefton
Based on current smoking prevalence and quit rates, England will be smoke-free by 2051 – 21 years later than the original government goal. Research reveals this extra 21 years will cost over £130billion in local authority social care, NHS costs and lost productivity.
Research conducted by Vape Club uses the latest PHE data to calculate the future trajectory of smokers in each county and unitary authority, to investigate how likely it is that the target will be reached at a local level.
‘Smoke-free’ by government standards is when the smoking prevalence is below five per cent of the population. The smoke-free by 2030 target includes an ultimatum for the industry to make smoked tobacco obsolete.
In Worcestershire, nearly 11 per cent of the county’s residents are smokers with the rate of those quitting standing at 0.12 per cent. Based on the figures it will take until 2440 for Worcestershire to become ‘Smoke-free’.
Dan Marchant, owner of Vape Club and founding member of the UK Vaping Industry Association, said: “In order to have a chance of meeting the ‘smokefree by 2030’ government target, it’s so important that smokers are correctly advised with accurate information about the available routes to quitting smoking, including the huge harm reduction benefits of vaping.”
