ASH begs government for money but don't call it political lobbying!
Wednesday, January 13, 2016 at 10:56 What a coincidence.
At the very moment I was writing my previous post (Fat cats in public health axe services) I received a copy of a press release from Cancer Research whose CEO pockets £240,000 a year.
Here's a taste:
Stop smoking services under threat as funding comes under pressure
Around forty per cent of local authorities in England are cutting budgets to stop smoking services according to a new Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) report published today (Wednesday) by Cancer Research UK ...
In the Spending Review 2015, the Government announced cuts to local council public health budgets of 3.9 per cent a year over the next five years. This is in addition to the £200 million extra in year cuts announced at the Budget 2015.
Stop Smoking Services are not mandatory services that councils must provide so there are fears they will be targeted and hit hard by cuts. This would then make it difficult for smokers to get the support they need to help them break their addiction.
Naturally a tobacco levy, rejected by Chancellor George Osborne last year, is back on the agenda.
George Butterworth, Cancer Research UK’s tobacco policy manager, said: “We believe the tobacco industry should pay for the damage their products cause. A levy on the tobacco industry should be used to provide sustainable funding for Stop Smoking Services and mass media campaigns to help people quit.”
And here's Hazel Cheeseman, director of policy for ASH and one of the report authors:
“Our research shows that most local councils take their responsibility to reduce smoking very seriously. But, they are facing enormous funding pressures. The services we have to support smokers to quit are world class but they are being eroded. The wider role that council’s play in tackling smoking - such as enforcing existing laws on smoking and selling tobacco - is also under threat.
“We need national action now to ensure that local authorities have the tools and the funding to do everything they can to reduce smoking rates.”
Now if that's not political lobbying by a so-called 'charity' I don't know what is.
More to follow ...
Reader Comments (1)
Charities lobbying public agencies and government bodies (from local councils through national legislatures) is unethical and if not outright illegal borders on criminal activity.