Smokers costing Kent council £1.3 billion
Lost productivity, health care and fires to blame
Kent’s smokers are costing the county £1.3 billion a year, new figures have revealed.
The shocking statistic covers lost productivity, care costs and fires caused by people puffing on tobacco products.
It comes in a report to go before the Kent County Council (KCC) Health Reform and Public Health cabinet committee tomorrow (May 14).
The paper states that £770 million is lost in productivity; social care costs of £427m; health care costing £52m and the price of smoking-related fires is £8m.
The costings were provided by the anti-smoking lobby group, Action on Smoking and Health (ASH).
KCC received an extra £1.9m in funding in April as part of a government drive, led by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, to get Britons to give up the habit.
But the pressure to stop smoking goes against Conservative principles, according to one KCC member, who wondered if it would lead to other bans, such as on alcohol.
The KCC papers state: “The additional funding is a great opportunity for KCC to increase and enhance the stop smoking service offer for Kent residents and therefore improve outcomes (measured through four-week quits).
“The funding will be used to build demand and capacity in stop smoking services and increase targeting.”
The additional cash will continue over the next five financial years, starting from 2024-25 until 2028-29.
The government aims to make it an offence to sell tobacco products to anyone born after January 1, 2009.
Although smoking itself will not be criminalised, the law – which was passed in parliament – would bring the UK closer to creating a smoke-free generation.
The government said smoking is responsible for 80,000 deaths a year and is a huge drain on public health services such as the NHS.
"Life is full of risks"
KCC committee member Cllr Lottie Parfitt-Reid said: “As a Conservative, I totally disagree with the ban of selling tobacco from a certain age. Where does it all end?
“Will we not be able to have a gin and tonic or a glass of wine in the pub?
“I don’t smoke and I don’t like smoking but I wouldn’t stop someone playing rugby because they might break their leg. Life is full of risks and it is a matter of personal responsibility.
“Of course the consequences of smoking costs money but I am not one for banning things.
“But I say that guardedly as I was against the ban on smoking in pubs but loved it once they did ban it.”
ASH says the cost of smoking to local communities in the UK is around £93bn and smokers spend on average £2,436 a year on tobacco products.