London’s mayor rejects smoking ban proposal in public spaces

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has published his response to the London Health Commission’s report Better Health for London, rejecting a smoking ban in public spaces but committing to personally chair the board tasked with delivering the health plan and announcing a £250,000 cash boost for his London Healthy Workplace Charter.

“I don’t support measures such as a smoking ban in open spaces or sin taxes which would, in my view, fall most heavily on those who are least able to pay them,” Johnson said. “However, I do believe in reducing the harm caused by poor health choices and look forward to working with London’s boroughs and the NHS [National Health Service] to progress the ambitions of this report and ensure London’s health is protected.”

Chaired by Lord Ara Darzi, the independent commission, set up by the mayor in September 2013, was tasked with investigating ways to improve London’s health and healthcare. The report proposed over 60 recommendations, including a smoking ban in public spaces such as parks, and ten ambitions for the capital covering issues such as improving children’s health, encouraging healthier lifestyles and making London’s healthcare services work better for Londoners.

Improving the health of London’s workforce is among the ambitions outlined in the report and the mayor, as a result, has announced a £250,000 boost for his London Healthy Workplace Charter, which works with employers across the capital to encourage staff to be more active and take healthier lifestyle choices.

“The aspirations in this report are the right ones for London and will, I believe, set us firmly on the path to becoming the healthiest capital city in the world,” Johnson added. “Putting Londoners at the centre of care they receive is key, as is the importance of public health which is why I’m expanding my Healthy Workplace Charter to help even more of London’s workforce stay healthy and productive.”

According to the mayor’s office, almost 14 million working days a year are lost to sickness absence in London with research showing that an average London firm of 250 employees can lose almost £5,000 a week due to sickness absence. Physically active workers take 27 percent fewer sick days than non-physically active counterparts.

The extra cash announced will be used to engage over 1,000 London-based employers over the next two years who will join the 44 organisations, employing almost 140,000 people that are already signed up to the Charter.