Local Government Declaration on Tobacco Control

Some of the signatories to the Declaration

The Local Government Declaration on Tobacco Control was developed by Newcastle City Council. It is a statement of a council’s commitment to ensure tobacco control is part of mainstream public health work and commits councils to taking comprehensive action to address the harm from smoking. Since it was launched in May 2013, over 80 councils across the country have signed the Declaration.

In August 2014, a sister document to the Declaration, the NHS Statement of Support for Tobacco Control was launched to allow NHS organisations to show their support for tobacco control. This has now been superseded by the NHS Smokefree Pledge which was launched in January 2018.

Commitment

The Declaration commits councils to:

Reduce smoking prevalence and health inequalities
Develop plans with partners and local communities
Participate in local and regional networks
Support Government action at national level
Protect tobacco control work from the commercial and vested interests of the tobacco industry
Monitor the progress of our plans
Join the Smokefree Action Coalition

Advice to councils on contact with the tobacco industry is available to download here.

Endorsement

The Declaration has also been widely endorsed by leading figures and organisations in the public health community:

If you would like to find out more about the Declaration or to notify us that your council has signed the Declaration please email Vicky Salt.

Downloads

There are plenty of helpful documents that can get you on the way to becoming a signatory to the Declaration. These are below.