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** 20 December 2022
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** UK
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** DLUHC confirms 9% increase in funding package for 2023-24 (#1)
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** Updated NICE quality standard for tobacco guidance (#2)
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** Scots back alcohol sponsorship having 'no place in sport', survey finds (#3)
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** Tackling health inequalities caused by the cost of living crisis a key priority in Walsall (#3)
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** International
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** Panel warns FDA’s beleaguered tobacco unit lacks direction (#4)
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** UK
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** DLUHC confirms 9% increase in funding package for 2023-24
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**
Councils will see a 9% increase in core spending power in 2023-24, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (DLUHC) has confirmed. Local authorities will see £5bn made available in extra resources, with overall core spending power set to rise to £59bn in 2023-24.

A written ministerial statement from levelling up secretary, Michael Gove confirmed that the government is to introduce a “one-off funding guarantee” ensuring all councils see at least a 3% increase in core spending power prior to any local decisions on council tax rates next year. This will be funded through the repurposing of the lower tier services grant and a proportion of the now expired new homes bonus legacy payments. It also confirmed the additional £2bn in additional grant funding for adults and children’s social care, first announced by chancellor, Jeremy Hunt during the autumn statement.

DLUHC confirmed that the revenue support grant will rise in line with inflation through the consumer price index and that four grants would be consolidated to “deliver a more transparent, simple, and accountable approach for grants” and streamline the funding system.

Mr Gove’s statement and the settlement documents also confirmed that councils will be able to raise core council tax by 3% without a holding a referendum, with local authorities who have social care responsibilities able to raise a further 2% as part of the social care precept.

A consultation on the provisional settlement opened today and is expected to close on 16 January 2023 with the government providing a final settlement next year.

Source: Local Government Chronicle, 19 December 2022
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** Updated NICE quality standard for tobacco guidance
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NICE have published the quality standard for the tobacco guidance updated in 2021. There are 5 standards services should meet to demonstrate quality:
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* Statement 1 ([link removed]) People are asked if they use tobacco at key points of contact with a health or social care professional. [2013, updated 2022]
* Statement 2 ([link removed]) People who use tobacco receive advice on quitting. [2013, updated 2022]
* Statement 3 ([link removed]) People who want to stop using tobacco are offered tobacco cessation support and treatment by a healthcare professional. [2013, updated 2022]
* Statement 4 ([link removed]) People who do not want, or are not ready, to stop using tobacco in one go receive support to adopt a harm-reduction approach. [2015, updated 2022]
* Statement 5 ([link removed]) People who smoke receive treatment to stop smoking on admission to hospital. [new 2022]

It is particularly welcome to see the emphasis on treatment of smokers. For more on implementing the guidance see our webinars from earlier in the year:
* For community services here:[link removed]
* For maternity here:[link removed]

Read Here ([link removed])


** Scots back alcohol sponsorship having 'no place in sport', survey finds
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A new survey has revealed that just one in four Scots would not support a ban on sports sponsorship by the alcohol industry. Almost half (47%) said they would back a ban, and a further 27% said they were unsure, while the remaining 26% said they would not support a ban. It comes as the Scottish Government, which is currently consulting on plans to restrict alcohol marketing, including a ban on advertising in sport, has been accused of breaking its commitment to exclude the alcohol industry from discussions on public health policy.

Recent research has shown that Scotland has a higher proportion of alcohol sponsors in the Scottish Premier League compared to other European nations. Campaigners including the Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems (SHAAP) said the poll highlighted the need for the Scottish Government to guard against influence by the alcohol industry and act in the public interest to reduce alcohol harm and save lives.

Despite a commitment in the Scottish Government’s alcohol and drug prevention policy not to consult with the drinks sector over health policy matters, two meetings were recorded in the lobbying register about consultations between industry representatives and government officials. On 13 June the first minister’s special advisor Davie Hutchison met a representative from Diageo in which, according to the lobbying register, they “discussed public health policy on alcohol-related issues, with a view to understanding the Scottish Government plans to consult on proposed alcohol marketing restrictions”. A few months later, on 1 August, the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) met Permanent Secretary John-Paul Marks to discuss a range of issues including industry “concerns re the forthcoming proposed alcohol marketing restrictions consultations, specifically how this could impact smaller members and their growth”.

Dr Alastair MacGilchrist, chair of SHAAP, expressed concerns about lobbying activity and said that the Scottish Government needed to take its steer from public opinion. He added: “This is classic lobbying activity that comes straight from the tobacco playbook.”

Source: The National Scotland, 18 December 2022
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** Tackling health inequalities caused by the cost of living crisis a key priority in Walsall
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Tackling issues brought about by the cost of living crisis, will be one of the key priorities for health bosses in Walsall. Stephen Gunther, Walsall's director of public health, has set out a number of key objectives his team will be focusing on in 2023 as they look to deliver on the Joint Local Health and Wellbeing strategy.

Priorities include improving mental health, boosting services for children and young people and enhancing support for those who need smoking, drug, alcohol and sexual health treatment.

Mr Gunther said: "This year, we have focused on ensuring people can continue to access a range of public health services, such as stopping smoking, health checks and supporting young people through our sexual health and drug and alcohol services. We have also continued to offer services to support residents’ mental wellbeing, including counselling and bereavement services respectively and signposting to community groups.”

Source: Birmingham Mail, 19 December 2022
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** International
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** Panel warns FDA’s beleaguered tobacco unit lacks direction
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**
The lack of clear direction and priorities at the US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) tobacco division has hampered its ability to regulate electronic cigarettes and other products, according to an expert panel convened by the Reagan-Udall Foundation. The report described the tobacco program as “reactive and overwhelmed,” in its effort to oversee regulation of both traditional tobacco products and a growing market of largely unauthorised electronic cigarettes.

FDA chief Dr Robert Califf commissioned separate reviews of the agency’s tobacco and food programs over the summer, after ongoing controversies in both units raised questions about his leadership at the FDA. Califf said he will review the recommendations with the aim of outlining the agency's next steps by February.

Created by Congress in 2009, the FDA's tobacco centre was granted sweeping powers to better regulate the tobacco industry, including banning harmful ingredients from traditional products and authorising new, less-harmful alternatives. But more than a decade later, little has changed, says the report.

The report recommends the agency seek more money to handle its workload in addition to overhauling its priorities and improving transparency. The group also calls for the creation of a task force including FDA and other government departments to help crack down on unauthorised e-cigarettes and other products that have become popular with teenagers.

The Reagan-Udall committee notes the FDA is hampered by “near constant litigation” brought by outside groups and companies unsatisfied with its performance. Those lawsuits have accelerated in recent years as the FDA repeatedly missed deadlines to review millions of e-cigarette applications from companies hoping to keep their products on the market.

Source: Independent, 19 December 2022
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ASH Daily News is a digest of published news on smoking-related topics. ASH is not responsible for the content of external websites. ASH does not necessarily endorse the material contained in this bulletin.

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