Calls to work with schools over vaping

By Nic Marko, Local Democracy Reporter

Calls have been made for more to be done with South Tyneside schools to prevent young people smoking and vaping.

It came following an update from South Tyneside Council officers on the positive work being carried out by stop smoking services in the borough over the past year.

Reports stated there are over 15,000 smokers in South Tyneside which is 12.7 per cent of the population.

Officers noted supporting smokers in South Tyneside to make multiple quit attempts until they successfully stop is “one of the most cost-effective strategies for enhancing health and well-being in the area.”

For over a decade, primary care providers have been delivering the universal stop smoking service in South Tyneside which outperformed regional neighbours, reducing smoking rates so they now “nearly align with the national average.”

The borough’s stop smoking service has expanded over the past year and is “offering free 12-week nicotine replacement therapy and a vape option to all adult smokers living and/or working in South Tyneside.”

From April 2024 to March 2025, the team helped 1,009 people set quit dates, 464 to mark four-week quits and 122 to reach the 12-week quit milestone.

At the latest meeting of the council’s adult safeguarding, health and wellbeing scrutiny committee councillors praised the work being done by the service to help improve the wellbeing of residents and stop them smoking.

However calls were made for more work to be done with schools around the dangers of smoking and to discourage young people from vaping.

Labour’s Cllr John McCabe, committee chair, said: “I think it’s important that the message gets across especially to young people and I’d like to see more done in the schools in regards to that.

“The children don’t go to smoking now, but a lot of children are vaping, I just don’t see the point in it.”

It comes after concerns were raised around both primary and secondary school pupils vaping at a recent full council meeting.

Cllr Ruth Berkely, cabinet member for adults, health and independence, said the borough’s stop smoking offer aims to “make a difference” for residents and to “go on the journey with them” to improve their health and wellbeing.

She added a variety of work is to be carried out next month as part of the annual Stoptober campaign, which aims to encourage people to stop smoking for a 28-day period in October, with a view to helping them quit for good.

Nationally the Tobacco and Vapes Bill seeks to stop the legal sale of cigarettes to future generations and reduce youth vaping.

It will phase out the sale of tobacco by making it illegal to sell tobacco products to children born on or after 1 January 2009, to prevent the next generation from becoming addicted to tobacco.

It will also give government powers to stop vapes and other consumer nicotine products (such as nicotine pouches) from being deliberately branded and advertised to appeal to children.

( Local Democracy Reporting Service)