Another council bans smoking and vaping on site

Breckland Council in Norfolk plans to ban smoking and vaping on all council premises.

The council – which attracted headlines in 2010 when it decided to make smokers clock on and off if they went for a cigarette break – now wants to be a "trailblazer" for a smoke free (sic) England.

BBC Radio Norfolk had the story this morning and invited me on to comment. The council however declined to be interviewed until after the policy has been ratified at a cabinet meeting this morning.

However you can read the final Smoke Free Policy here so I imagine it's just a formality.

Aside from a ban on smoking on all council sites, the policy includes a ban on vaping which won't come as a surprise to readers of this blog.

In 2016 Nottingham County Council introduced a similar policy and last year Forest published a report by Josie Appleton, director of the Manifesto Club, that highlighted the growing number of councils that have introduced bans on smoking and vaping:

In total, 68% of councils had a policy restricting smoking and vaping for their employees in working hours. 49 councils banned smoking and vaping breaks entirely, even if workers were clocked out. The policies included bans on smoking and vaping while walking between work appointments.

See 'Smokefree Ideology: How local authorities are waging war on choice and person freedom'.

One of the things that struck me when Nottingham County Council banned smoking and vaping on its property was how little opposition there was.

In media reports Forest was the only voice opposing the policy, even on vaping.

Vaping advocates, especially those in the tobacco control industry, were silent then and I suspect they will be silent now.

This is one of many reasons why I keep saying that any vaper who considers anti-smoking campaigners to be their friend or ally is either naive or a fool.

The endgame is the elimination of all forms of nicotine consumption. Vaping bans are a means to that long-term goal which is why you rarely hear public health activists – even the 'pro-vaping' ones – complain about them.

Anyway, here's our response to the Breckland Council policy – Forest slams plan to ban smoking and vaping on council premises.

Let's see how many other consumer or vaping advocacy groups follow suit.

Update: The Council this morning passed a resolution to introduce its new 'smoke free' policy but agreed to review the vaping ban after it has considered forthcoming recommendations by NICE, so vapers may get a reprieve.

No such luck for smokers though. There was unanimous support for a ban on smoking on council premises and it was mentioned several times that 89 per cent of staff supported the idea.

It was also emphasised that the policy, although approved by councillors (ie politicians), had been suggested by members of staff.

Meanwhile the ban was explained as being part of a programme that gives smokers the "right tools to do what they need to do" (ie quit smoking) to which my response is:

What gives councillors the right to dictate what smokers "need to do"?