This webinar, held on the 17th December 2024, launched the ASH and Cancer Research UK report on the state of local stop smoking services and wider tobacco control. The report is based on the annual ASH survey of local authority tobacco control activity. The 2024 report explores how the new funding for tobacco control is being used by local authorities to increase their offer to people who smoke and reach communities where smoking prevalence remains high.
Alongside an update on the report findings, the webinar also included case studies from areas using innovative approaches to support smokers to quit and give an overview of existing resources to support those working in tobacco control.
The webinar was chaired by Cllr David Fothergill, Chair of the LGA Community Wellbeing Board and included presentations from:
- Will Anderson, report author, Findings from the 2024 local survey
- John Waldron, ASH, Resources to support tobacco control
- Margaret Jones, Update on the Champs Public Health Collaborative All Together Smokefree Programme
- Kaye Mann & Sophia Papadakis, Building Capacity and Expertise: A 5-Year Workforce Development Strategy
- Alison Challenger, ADPH/ASH guidance on using the new tobacco control funding
- This was followed by a Q&A session.
The webinar slides are available to access. The expansion and renewal report is also now available to read online.