Smoking should be banned in council housing, public health chief says

[LurkingHusband]

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/smoking-banned-council-housing-faculty-of-public-health-a7722726.html

Smoking should be banned in all new council houses to protect children from harmful second-hand smoke, a public health chief has said.

Anti-smoking campaigners consider smoke-free housing to be the next major frontier in reducing the harmful effects of passive smoking.

In 2015, the Government introduced a ban on smoking in all vehicles carrying children.

“Housing associations and councils are looking at smoke-free housing buildings. Where children are involved I think there is a real case for it,” Dr John Middleton, president of the Faculty of Public Health, told The Sunday Times.

Dr Middleton said he believed housing association residents should sign contracts which would make non-smoking a condition of their tenancy.

“You wouldn’t evict a load of tenants for smoking. Where you have got new premises, you could have smoke-free agreements from the start," he said.

In the United States, the Obama administration passed a federal law which banned smoking in all public housing - the equivalent to UK social housing - in November last year.

The legislation, which will come into effect in August 2018, will affect more than million homes. In New York alone, which has the largest public housing agency in the country, 400,000 people will be bound by non-smoking agreements.

Pro-smoking campaign Forest said the proposed policy “would penalise unfairly those who can’t afford to buy their own homes”.

They would've clocked that years ago. Do you think they're dim or something?

"so probably wouldn't work there until there's more of a culture change and hardly anyone smokes indoors." It would be interesting to know how prevalent indoor smoking is these days, I doubt it would be easy to get accurate statistics though. It seems like something that is more likely to be something older people do as it seems socially taboo among younger people but I might be wrong, my sample size is small. If it is older people it is something that may die out naturally over time anyway.

Insta Dim, no. Hugely overworked with the idea of shopping around for different insurers or negotiating terms never quite getting to the top of of the to-do list, yes.

My previous house had the Council as the freeholder and we had to deal with their insurance for a few reasons, and the policy for all their housing (half our block was still council owned) hadn't been updated or renegotiated for over a decade.

OddBoots I think there's been YouGov surveys about smoking habits. Huge change in under 25 years - students could smoke in bedrooms in halls of residence when I studied, then colleges stopped smoking in parts of their bars, and in their newer bedrooms targeting the conference market. Most of my friends have quit but the ones that do smoke still only do it outside - though most have to because of their lease.

I know prisons have considered whether to ban smoking and generally try to ensure smokers arent put in cells with non-smokers. I wouldn't be surprised if one tries it, on the grounds that lots of things like alcohol are legal but not allowed in prison either.

Im a childfree by choice teetotal non smoking social housing tenant.

I live in a block of flats and it does worry me due to the fire risk.

I know someone who left a scented candle burning and went out. In a block where other ppl are.

Where are the statistics of thousands of children suffering do to their parents smoking in this day and age? I don't know anyone, anyone who smokes willy nilly around small children as its just not done anymore and I am from -well not even working class, probably the disenfranchised underclass you all seem so desperate to judge poke at and control. This law is simply not needed. And if some parents don't give a shit and spark up at every occasion, they are very much on the minority and possibly have bigger problems going on than smoking.

Why do the middle classes feel the need to police us so much? Resentment that we get anything for free? Or just plain prejudice?

Once it becomes law, the odd cigarette smoked in your own hone could be grounds for eviction
Yes let's add to the housing crisis.

Due to.

"Today 17:07 NotCitrus

Insta Dim, no. Hugely overworked with the idea of shopping around for different insurers or negotiating terms never quite getting to the top of of the to-do list, yes."

You're kidding aren't you? Do you know what housing associations are? Large corporations. They employ insurance managers/ departments. And councils aren't exactly over worked in this area.

The reason they don't ban smoking to reduce their insurance bill is because it wouldn't reduce their insurance bill. Pretty simple logic.

I have worked on a children's ward and they are always full of children with breathing problems, year round. Yes not all due to smoking, but if their parents are smokers we do our best to really encourage them to quit. Smoking is very harmful for children. That is a fact.

Where are the statistics of thousands of children suffering do to their parents smoking in this day and age?. Oh ffs is a HUGE problem countrywide. Do you really think challenging posters to provide statistics will make anyone think it isn't a problem.

I gave up responding to you a long time ago in this post because of your blatant stupidity, but this one deserves a mention.

Well done

I think a previous poster made a fantastic and ignored point about mould and Mildrew in poor quality housing which is known to cause asthma and breathing/ lung problems

So I'm stupid Empire? Or you just can't answer any point I bring up. As we are name calling I think you are a nasty snob.

There are no statistics, because everyone knows the risks now and very few people, yes even amongst us chavs, does this anymore. So don't tell me about how well known that this is a problem blah blah.

You just simply can't argue because your argument has been destroyed.

And random, yes we all know its bad for children's health thanks, we are all aware and its great that you encourage these parents to stop smoking and fill them in on the facts.

But that's never what this proposed law was about.

I don't have an argument and my point of view has not been destroyed. I stopp d discussing my point a long time back. But it still stands.

I'm amazed you are naive enough to try and reiterate that people do not smoke in their houses when they have children.

My dearest Dad had a phrase for all you middle class meddlers, "Do Gooders",. I never really understood what he meant at the time, but now I get it. 'Oh we are just doing good, we are helping these stupid chavvy people because they are too stupid and willful to help themselves'.

Great, so now we are introducing laws that police a persons perfectly legal behavior in their own homes. Great. Where will it end? But as you can't imagine this shift in public consciousness ever affecting you and your rights, just the nasty grasping degenerates, you are all for it.

I smoke. (Not heavily.) I live in a private rental property. I smoke outside. It's in the lease.
TBH I find the whole smoking inside thing a bit odd nowadays.
We stayed in a friends B and B for a family event of theirs. EVERYONE smoked inside. It was minging. Everything stank.

The only reason I don't 100% agree with a ban is that some smokers are housebound. I've been though ill health and my couple of cigarettes a day we're the highlight of my day.....I was fortunate to be able to go outside though.

How would they enforce it anyway?

My dearest Dad had a phrase for all you middle class meddlers, "Do Gooders",. I never really understood what he meant at the time, but now I get it. 'Oh we are just doing good, we are helping these stupid chavvy people because they are too stupid and willful to help themselves'. I'm not sure of you are aware, but the whole anti smoking campaign recently has been designed to help both rich and poor alike. You may consider it to be meddling, but stopping smoking in restaurants etc was nothing short of a positive step. It had jack shit to do with class and everything to do with health. That is what it is about. Stop making the divide. Smoking affects middle class and fucking mega rich people too.

Ban it, its not their house. If the landlord says no in the lease then NO, go buy your own house and destroy it and its inhabitants with your smoking.

Otherwise in ten years time I can see benefit scroungers suing councils for letting them smoke in their council houses that tax payers have paid for.

Anon you mean the tax paying tentants I presume?

I see Anon213 is back from the pub, usual shit posting

... not to mention rent paying tenants eh anon

All of this stuff about it not being their house is nonsense anyway. Quite apart from the fact that this would mean that all tenants are homeless, as tenants they have subsidiary legal title to the land parcel. So it is actually theirs - it's recognised legal ownership.

getin can you just explain that in laymans terms please?

If its not their house and the lease says no smoking then it isn't allowed.
If the council own the house they should include in the lease that smoking is not allowed.

Empire might be fucking clueless but at least she has a heart and is consistent.

Benefit scroungers eh anon? Jesus wept.