| DoH tries to tackle smoking in poorer areas | Posted on 10/06/2009 in Medical Government/ NHS related news The Department of Health (DoH) is trying to help local councils in areas where there are high levels of smoking to encourage people to stub out their habit.
In particular, poorer regions where there are a lot of young people lighting up will be targeted.
A grant of 2.5 million pounds will be shared out among 25 local authorities and it is thought the funding could be used for a number of projects.
These might include setting up a marketing campaign, supporting trading standards to enforce tobacco sales regulations, or helping revenue and customs combat the illicit cigarette market.
Public health minister Gillian Merron noted there has been progress made on reducing overall smoking rates across the country so far.
"Now we're helping people in areas with the highest rates of smoking ? so that we can help them to kick the habit for good," she stated.
Local authorities taking part in the programme will meet today (June 10th) in Warwick for a two-day summit to examine the issue and explore how the finance can be put to good use.
Earlier this month, the DoH highlighted that smokers in the West Midlands are costing their employers around 173 million pounds every year.Other news stories from 10/06/2009
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