City's £100k anti-smoking grant

NOTTINGHAM is set to get a £100,000 grant to help smokers quit.

The city is one of 25 areas to share £2.5m from the Department of Health announced today

The money will help councils encourage smokers to quit and discourage young people from taking up smoking.

It could be used to set up anti-smoking marketing campaigns, enforce tobacco advertising regulations and combat illicit cigarettes.

Public Health Minister Gillian Merron said: "We have made good progress on reducing overall smoking rates.

"Now we're helping people in areas with the highest rates of smoking – particularly among young people and those from the poorest communities – so that we can help them to kick the habit for good."

Some 38% of adults in Nottingham smoke, giving the city the second highest rate in the country.

Local authorities taking part in the programme will meet today in Warwick to explore how the funding could be used.

MPs are this week debating a Health Bill which includes measures to ban advertising of tobacco at point of sale and the restriction of tobacco in vending machines.

But bosses in Nottingham want more to be done to stop cigarettes getting into the hands of children.

Nottingham North MP Graham Allen said he wanted to see the Bill strengthened to completely ban the sale of tobacco through vending machines.

He said: "In general, I support any measures which help in curbing the number of tobacco related deaths in the UK.

"Smoking remains the largest cause of preventable death in the UK and will remain so unless tough measures are put in place to protect our children from the hazards of smoking."