North Yorkshire Council is set to spend up to £477,000 on e-cigarettes to help residents quit smoking.
A report due to be considered by senior councillors later this week recommends launching a procurement process to secure a supplier to provide e-vouchers for e-cigarettes and related products through the council’s Living Well Smokefree service.
The proposed contract would run from July 2026 to July 2029 and would be demand-led, with no guarantee that the full amount would be spent.
The e-cigarettes would be provided free of charge to people accessing the stop smoking service, with costs covered through ring-fenced public health funding.
Council documents state that smoking remains the biggest preventable killer in the UK and is estimated to cost North Yorkshire around £400m a year in health, social care and wider impacts.
Under the proposals, eligible smokers working with Living Well Smokefree advisers would receive a voucher code to redeem online for reusable, rechargeable devices and associated products, with disposable vapes are now banned.
Since e-cigarettes were introduced into the service in July 2023, 487 people have used them as part of their quit attempt, with 363 achieving a successful four-week quit – a reported 75 per cent success rate.
Longer-term figures show 33 per cent remained smoke-free after a year.
The funding forms part of the Government’s Smokefree Generation ambitions, which aim to reduce national smoking prevalence to five per cent by 2030. North Yorkshire has been allocated £642,000 for 2025/26 to support local stop smoking services.
The council says providing access to a range of quit aids – including nicotine replacement therapy and e-cigarettes – is vital to help those who may require multiple attempts to stop smoking.
If approved, the procurement process will begin in the coming months, with the new contract expected to start in July 2026.
Smoking/Vaping is a Life Choice, fully funded School Transport for Children falls under a Life Learning Essential Category, when will this Council listen to its Electorate and prioritise Needs over Choices!
How typical of our useless council , throwing away our hard earned on ridiculous stunts like this . County Hall needs a total shake up , get rid of the deadwood on their inflated salaries.
Whatever happened to willpower?
Another waste of money that could be better spent benefiting the whole community.
Why can’t people manage their own lifestyle – vapes. Fat jabs – what next .
Distributing vouchers that are spent on sweets, crisps, ready meals and alcohol .
Let people rise and fall by their own efforts
Now we know what our 4.99% rates increase will be spent on.