Liverpool City Region plans to extend tobacco ad ban to vaping products
January 21, 2026
Photo: iStock
Liverpool City Region could move to ban vaping advertising across publicly owned infrastructure, as part of a broader crackdown on marketing linked to health harms.
Under proposals being considered by the Combined Authority this week, the existing ban on tobacco advertising would be extended to cover vaping products, alongside new restrictions on junk food and high sugar drink ads.
Mayor Steve Rotheram said the plans are aimed at ensuring advertising on publicly owned assets “works in the public interest”, arguing that communities should not be surrounded by messages that normalise products associated with harm.
“Where adverts appear on publicly owned infrastructure, they should work in the public interest,” he said. “In some of our communities, children are growing up surrounded by adverts for products that damage their health – we’re putting a stop to that.”
The proposed policy would apply to assets under the Combined Authority’s control, including advertising sites across the bus and rail network, and is intended to support healthier lifestyles while reducing health inequalities across the region.
Alongside the extension of the tobacco ad ban to include vapes, the Combined Authority said it would also review gambling and alcohol advertising, with findings expected to inform future versions of the policy.
While vaping restrictions are included, the main plank of the policy focuses on limiting promotion of food and drinks high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS), defined using Public Health England’s Nutrient Profiling Model.
The Combined Authority said health outcomes in the region highlight the need for intervention, citing data showing 63.5 per cent of adults in Liverpool and up to 78.3 per cent in Halton are classified as overweight or obese.
Officials also pointed to evidence that junk food adverts are disproportionately concentrated in deprived areas of the city region, where children are said to be significantly more likely to have excess weight.
If approved, the policy will be phased in, with advertising partners engaged to ensure implementation is “fair and effective” and aligned with national advertising rules. The Combined Authority said the policy will evolve over time and be reviewed periodically in collaboration with councils, health partners and transport authorities.
