The indoor smoking ban is set to be extended to certain outdoor settings across the UK, the Government has announced.
As part of a long-mentioned plan to create a ‘smokefree generation’ by phasing-out the sale of tobacco products to anyone aged 15 or younger nationwide from this year, and ultimately “break the cycle of addiction and disadvantage”, the Government has now introduced a new Tobacco and Vapes Bill to Parliament.
Health Ministers says the Bill will bring about tougher action to better protect the public, the NHS, and the economy from the harms of smoking.
As recent statistics have shown that smoking claims around 80,000 lives a year in the UK, which costs taxpayers £3.1 billion annually due to pressures on the NHS, the Tobacco and Vapes Bill forms part of the Government’s reform agenda to “shift the focus of healthcare from sickness to prevention”.
Ultimately, the Bill is aiming to address one of the biggest risk factors driving poor health – smoking.
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As well as the phasing-out of tobacco to anyone aged 15 or younger, the Government says it’s also considering giving powers to extend the indoor smoking ban to specific outdoor spaces – with children’s playgrounds, the outside of schools, and hospitals, all being considered, subject to consultation.
Extending restrictions in places that are currently smoke free to also become vape free, especially in areas where there are children and young adults, is also being considered.
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“These measures will help protect children from becoming hooked on nicotine while continuing to enable adult smokers to use vapes as a quit aid,” a Government spokesperson explained.
The new Tobacco and Vapes Bill is set to sit alongside the already-announced ban on vape advertising and sponsorship, as well as the powers to restrict the flavours, display, and packaging of all types of vapes.
It also follows the news that disposable vapes are due to be banned from 1 June next year, which was announced towards the end of last month.
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Our Tobacco and Vapes Bill will protect the public, NHS and economy from the harms of smoking.
We plan to:
🚭 ban smoking outside schools, children’s playgrounds and hospitals
— Department of Health and Social Care (@DHSCgovuk) November 5, 2024
“Unless we act to help people stay healthy, the rising tide of ill-health in our society threatens to overwhelm and bankrupt our NHS,” explained Health Sectretary, Wes Streeting.
“Prevention is better than cure. This Government is taking bold action to create the first smokefree generation, clamp down on kids getting hooked on nicotine through vapes, and protect children and vulnerable people from the harms of second-hand smoke.
Streeting says this “historic” legislation will “save thousands of lives” and “protect the NHS”.
Jimmy Bradbury, Reuben Haycocks, Aoife Anson O’Connell, and Paddy Murphy – better known together as Westside Cowboy – formed back in 2023 when they were students at the Royal Northern College of Music, so while they may not all be from Manchester, they definitely have the spirit of our city at the heart of everything they do.
After playing in different bands across the city throughout their student years, the four-piece joined forces to create Westside Cowboy – an indie rock collective credited with self-coining the genre of ‘Britainicana’.
Put simply, Britainicana is a cultural concept that mixes the hazy, mythic feel of American country and folk, with the sound of raw British punk, indie rock, and small-town life.
Westside Cowboy have released their debut album, It Goes On / Credit: Clementine Schniedermann (Press Shots – Supplied)
If that sounds like your cup of tea, then you’ll be pleased to know that Westside Cowboy have released their debut album, It Goes On, to the world today (21 August).
And the reception from critics, arguably, couldn’t be better.
Prior to the release of their debut album, the band had released two EPs, including So Much Country ‘Till We Get There in January earlier this year, and had started to make a name for themselves with their popular debut single ‘I’ve Never Met Anyone I Thought I Could Really Love (Until I Met You)’ in 2024.
They went onto make even further waves when they supported equally-rising American rock band Geese on their UK and Irish tour back in March – with many fans calling it one of the best support and main act combinations in some time.
Three singles from their debut album were shared with the world ahead of its release – ‘Kick Stones (The Boys)’ came first, followed by ‘Pin Up Boys’ and ‘Dobro’.
So, it’s fair to say the anticipation for album was high… and if the reviews are anything to go by (which we think they are), it looks like the band has very much delivered what they set out to achieve.
Westside Cowboy’s debut album It Goes On is now available to stream, or you can purchase a physical copy in a range of formats from their website here.
Take a listen👇
Featured Image – Press Shot (Supplied)
News
UK set to be battered by storms as ‘unprecedented’ El Niño arrives this autumn
Emily Sergeant
The UK is being told to brace for a series of storms this autumn when the ‘unprecedented’ El Niño weather event arrives.
It’s already been a summer of extremes for the country, with multiple heatwaves over the past couple of months, but now it appears that autumn and winter are set to have some extremes of their own, as the Met Office is warning that this upcoming El Niño could be one of the most significant in recent memory.
El Niño is declared when sea temperatures in the tropical eastern Pacific rise 0.5°C above the long-term average, which therefore impacts global rainfall patterns and average temperatures.
The natural warming of sea temperatures is forecast to reach more than 3°C in the coming months, according to the Met Office, making this year’s weather event have the potential to be ‘the largest since the 19th century’.
The UK is set to be battered by storms as ‘unprecedented’ El Niño arrives this autumn / Credit: Johannes Plenio (via Unsplash)
El Niño will create a heightened risk of drought in the tropics, southern Africa, and north eastern Australia, but over in north western Europe – including the UK – it means we are likely to experience wetter and stormier conditions.
The UK, and of course Greater Manchester, is absolutely no stranger to a storm around this time of year, but forecasters say this could be an entirely different beast.
“We should be clear that this is an unprecedented event,” warned Professor Adam Scaife, who is the Head of Long Range Forecasting at the Met Office.
“I have never seen an El Nino signal this intense in our forecasts.”
Professor Scaife concluded: “A typical El Nino leads to an equatorial Pacific sea-surface temperature rise of between one to 2°C, with 2°C being a really big event. This implies that, if the forecast is accurate, and other forecast systems show similar extreme values, then 2026 will far exceed our recent experience of El Niño and its worldwide climate influences.’
Forecasters and officials, however, have warned that it could take months of sustained rainfall before rivers, reservoirs, and groundwaters are ‘completely replenished’ – which is when a drought can officially be declared as over.
It also warned drought conditions could persist into the new year as, despite El Niño, as current forecasts do not suggest this autumn will have the amount of rainfall needed to drive recovery.
Emily Sergeant -
6th November 2024 
