17/06/2022 - Tackling tobacco: a priority for Luton

Councillor Khtija Malik, portfolio holder for public health, said: “Preventing people from starting smoking, and helping smokers to quit remains a key priority for Luton and we welcome this review to help us double our efforts.”

The council continues to work with a range of partners such as trading standards, the NHS, and Luton’s stop smoking service Total Wellbeing Luton to reduce the number of people smoking in Luton. The council has also taken various steps to discourage smoking in the town including designated no smoking zones in parks, playgrounds, areas around the town centre and St. George’s Square.

Councillor Malik added: “As well as the health impacts, smoking also has a wider financial impact on Luton. It affects some of our most vulnerable populations, those living in social housing; routine/manual workers; those suffering with mental illness and pregnant women. This report appropriately recommends more funding to stop young people from starting smoking, raising the age of sale, and reducing the appeal of smoking through a mass media campaign to create a smokefree culture.”

Smoking remains the leading cause of avoidable illness and death. It is estimated that approximately half of all lifelong smokers will die early, losing on average about 10 years of life. Recent data estimates 191 people die as a result of smoking each year in Luton. Luton is currently ranked the 70th most deprived lower tier local authority out of 317, according to 2019 IMD Summary. Whilst the number of adults smoking in Luton has declined from 2019 to 2020, our town was in the top 20% of those with the highest number of smoking adults. 

With the government’s new National Tobacco Control Plan due to be released this summer, Tobacco Free Luton are developing a new Luton tobacco strategy. The strategy will aim to prevent people from starting smoking, and help smokers to quit, by targeting priority populations where smoking is more common.