Local council support for smokers better than pre-pandemic – but chronic funding pressures remain

In 2021, 76 per cent of local authorities were providing some form of dedicated specialist service for smokers, compared to 69 per cent in 2019. However, long term underfunding and forecast growth in demand for services due to new NHS programmes is placing pressure on services, and has increased the urgency to improve local authority public health funding to meet these demands and tackle inequalities in the wake of the pandemic.

Local councils adapted quickly to the challenges posed by the pandemic to make sure services were available for smokers. For example, by delivering these traditionally face-to-face services remotely, reaching out to vulnerable homeless populations being bought into hotels and finding new ways to support access to medications. However, although a third (36 per cent) reported that the emergency context had created positive opportunities for services to be delivered differently and reach more people, a further third (34 per cent) reported that the pandemic had compromised their ability to provide support.