Kent and Essex to receive largest share of additional smoking cessation funding

The Government has confirmed how much additional funding each local authority will receive for smoking cessation services in 2025/26.

The funding, which totals £70m per year, was announced in November 2023 as part of the previous government’s plans to create a smokefree generation.

And the new Labour government has continued this intention, introducing a bill to progressively increase the age at which people can buy cigarettes and imposing limits on the sales and marketing of vapes.

The Government said the £70m in funding for smoking cessation services was targeted towards local authorities with the most smokers, and allocations were based on the average smoking prevalence in each area over a three-year period between 2021 and 2023.

Kent and Essex are the two counties with the highest number of smokers, and therefore could receive the most funding for stop smoking services – a maximum of £1,891,779 and £1,882,537 respectively.

And with just 231 estimated smokers, the Isles of Scilly could receive up to £2,854 of the funding.

The table below outlines the maximum amount of funding each area could receive, but the Government stressed that local authorities will be required to meet certain criteria to be eligible for the additional funding.

Numerous smoking cessation services across England are currently commissioned via local enhanced services to general practice although cuts to public health budgets has put pressure on services in recent years.

Last year, the Government introduced ‘historic’ legislation to phase out smoking among young people, extend the smoking ban to outdoor spaces, and clamp down on vaping. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill is intended to ‘create a smokefree generation’ by banning the sale of tobacco products across the UK to anyone who was aged 15 or younger in 2024.

A version of this article was first published by Pulse's sister title The Pharmacist