At December 2023’s full council meeting, councillors asked the leader of Sheffield City Council to write to the secretary of state asking for single-use disposable vapes to be banned.

The government’s consultation on its ‘smoke-free generation’ plans closed in December. One of the measures that the plans raised was tackling the “worrying rise in vaping among children.” Under consideration were measures to “reduce the appeal and availability of vapes to children while ensuring they remain available as a quit tool for smokers.”

Sheffield City Council has joined calls from ministers and councils across the country for the government to tackle the issue.

Following a full council meeting, Tom Hunt, councillor and leader of Sheffield City Council, said, “We’re already working hard in the city to reduce smoking, which still causes many preventable deaths each year. Vaping has been shown to help adult smokers quit, but if you don’t smoke, you shouldn’t start vaping.

“We need to continue to do our best to stop children smoking, but we don’t want them to start vaping either. We want children to be healthy and not enticed by harmful products that are being deliberately marketed to them.

"In addition, the environmental impact of disposal of single-use vapes is too significant not to take action. This is why we are putting pressure on the government to do what they can to protect children from harm and to protect the environment by banning the sale of single-use disposable vapes."

After discussions with other local representatives, Tom wrote a letter to Victoria Atkins, the Secretary of State for Health & Social Care.

The message began, “We very much welcome the recent Government proposals to raise the age of sale of tobacco and look forward to seeing this pass-through Parliament. We have written to our local MPs urging them to pledge their support for this proposal, which will benefit every single constituent in Sheffield.”

Tom was particularly concerned about reports that vaping has become a “significant disruption to daily school life” for children. He explained there has been “reduced attendance”, “poor levels of concentration”, “an increase in school exclusions” and even some students being hospitalised as a result of nicotine addiction.

To tackle their appeal to young people, Tom said that “resources for enforcement” and steps to “reduce the affordability, appeal and accessibility of vapes to children” must be taken. He added, “Colourful, child-friendly packaging and advertisements designed specifically to target and appeal to children and young people is wholly inappropriate.”

Tom concluded, “I believe that a ban on single-use disposable vapes is a critical move forward in addressing and curbing the trend in youth vaping, protecting both the environment and the wellbeing of our children.”

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