Council will lobby government over

The authority is set to lobby the Local Government Association (LGA) calling for the government to enforce tighter restrictions around the marketing of vapes.

In May, the government announced plans to close a loophole that allows the vaping industry to give free samples of vapes to children in England. Selling vapes to children under-18 is illegal.

Telford & Wrekin Council approved its children’s and young people vaping statement at a meeting this week with the key message: ‘if you don’t smoke, don’t vape’.

The council’s director of public health, Liz Noakes, said that the long-term impact of vaping is not known.

“I’m concerned about the marketing being used to promote vapes to children and young people,” Ms Noakes said.

“We will be sending this message out to schools which will then cascade down to parents. There is lobbying to be done to the LGA on their stance about the marketing of vapes to young people and we will be supporting trading standards colleagues.

“I’m also concerned about free samples of vapes being given to youngsters which we will lobby against.”

Estimated figures released by the council show that over 1,900 children in the borough aged between 11-17 have ‘experimented’ with vaping this year.

The council state that an estimated 600 children of the same ages vape every day.

Helen Onions, consultant in public health, presented the report to the council’s health and wellbeing board on Thursday about the new vaping statement.

“We do have concerns about children and young people vaping,” said Mrs Onions. “We know that vaping is highly effective in stopping people from smoking.

“However, we don’t know all the evidence for children inhaling nicotine. It is important that, with what we now know that, we support young people to make the right decision.”

Chairman of the health and wellbeing board, Andy Burford, said that the council’s new vaping position was ‘evidence based’.

Councillor Kelly Middleton, cabinet member for healthy communities, said as an ex-smoker than vaping had been ‘helpful to get off them’.

“If I didn’t smoke, I wouldn’t vape,” she said. “It’s better to stay off them.”

Councillor Karen Tomlinson, representing Shawbirch and Dothill, said that vaping was now ‘the cool thing’ along with laughing gas.

“Education is the best thing to stop them,” she added.