The York Council is set to implement a ban on smoking in playgrounds.

It says that children are more likely to take up the health threatening habit if they frequently see adults smoking.

A report is being considered next week

The ban will be advisory but the Council hopes that peer pressure will ensure that it is respected.

1 in 10 York adults smoke cigarettes

The Council are to consult on whether the ban should include “e-cigarettes”

NB. Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death worldwide, killing half of all lifetime users.1 Currently, 11.9% of the York adult population smoke (more than 20,000 smokers), which resulted in over 700 deaths in the city (2016-18), nearly 2000 hospital admissions a year, and costs the economy (through healthcare costs and lost productivity) over £34m a year.

Whilst levels of smoking have fallen faster in York than nationally over the last decade (the prevalence of smoking in England is 13.9%), it still ranks as one of the major public health issues facing our population, and one of the key modifiable factors in improving the health and wellbeing of the people of York across the life course.