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News Report Page 3 of 16
Publication Date:-
2023-02-12
 
News reports located on this page = 2.

LGA says:- "Vapes need to be:- 'out of sight and out of reach' to tackle underage sales"

STRICT new measures to regulate the display and marketing of vaping products in the same way as tobacco are needed to crack down on a rise in stores selling to children, the Local Government Association warned. Many local areas have seen a spate of incidents in recent weeks where shops have been caught selling vapes to youngsters, with Councils having to step up enforcement activity to deal with the increasingly widespread issue. Councils are especially concerned by the marketing of vapes with designs and flavours that could appeal to children, in particular those with fruity and bubble gum flavours, and colourful child friendly packaging. In contrast, the sale of tobacco is strictly regulated, with plain packaging and a requirement for products to be behind the counter. To help stop children from being able to access vapes, the LGA, which represents Councils, is calling for:-

   Vapes to be in plain packaging and kept out of sight behind the counter.

   Mandatory age of sale signage on vaping products; it is currently voluntary.

   A ban on free samples of vaping products being given out to people of any age.

   Sanctions for breaching these rules should also be the same as penalties handed out under tobacco display regulations.

In a survey by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, 60% of local trading standards services said high street shops selling illicit vapes or vaping products to children was the enforcement issue that most concerned them. Teams reported a significant rise in underage vape sales in 2022. Recent action taken against the issue includes:-

   Councils in London launching undercover operations to prosecute shops selling e-cigarettes to children. Barking and Dagenham Council is investigating 3 shops after its trading standards team sent teenagers aged 13 and 14 into businesses to buy vaping products.

   A campaign in Bracknell, Wokingham and West Berkshire aims to stop young people using vapes with visits to Schools to discuss the potential dangers of vaping, and shops and supermarkets to check for underage sales and illegal vaping products.

   Suffolk Trading Standards this month caught 3 shops in Ipswich and Felixstowe selling vaping fluid to underage customers.

   Shropshire Council has raised concerns about vaping in children increasing and is carrying out test purchase operations, which has led to the seizure of 1,044 illegal vape products and 3 sales of vapes to children.

   Shops in Taunton and Mansfield have also been recently closed after selling vaping products to children.

   Norfolk Trading Standards Officers have reported a worrying increase in reports of shops selling e-cigarettes to children.

   Police and Council Officers in Southend seized over 1,200 illegal vape pens allegedly being sold to children.

   Data from the ASH Smokefree GB Youth survey of 11 to 18 year olds, in England, showed that current vaping prevalence was:- 8.6% in 2022, compared with:- 4%, in 2021.

   It also found that over a 5th of youngsters bought vaping products from newsagents, while:- 16.3% bought them from a supermarket.

Cllr David Fothergill, Chairman of the LGA's Community Wellbeing Board, said:- "Vapes need to be out of sight and out of reach of children in the same way as cigarettes. It is not right that stores are able to prominently display vaping paraphernalia for all to see, such as in a shop window, often in bright, colourful packaging that can appeal to children. Vapes should only be used as an aid to quit smoking. While research has shown vaping poses a small fraction of the risks of smoking, it is deeply worrying that more and more children; who have never smoked; are starting vaping. This has become a major concern for Councils, who are seeing a sharp rise in cases of shops and other outlets selling vaping products to people under 18. The evidence suggests that vaping is by no means risk free, and so it is very alarming that young people are getting access to and using e-cigarettes. This is why we are calling for tougher and stricter regulation of vaping products to tackle the growing cases of children getting hold of them."

We would also be interested to know your thoughts on this topic, so please email them to our Newsroom at:- News24@SouthportReporter.Com.
 


North West leaders and businesses plan opportunities for working on Palace of Westminster restoration

A group of 18 leading businesses and representatives from across the Region attended a consultation event at the Museum of Liverpool, on 2 February 2023. Local businesses and suppliers met the team delivering Parliament's restoration programme to discuss how the complex work can support jobs and opportunities across the North West.

Small to medium sized businesses are already benefitting from the work to restore the Palace of Westminster. In 2022, 7 contracts worth £4m for Palace of Westminster building investigations were awarded to suppliers across the country with 5 out of 7 contract winners being classed as a small or medium enterprise (SME). There are already dozens of companies involved in the restoration effort and supporting jobs and apprenticeships.

Leading local experts in everything from manufacturing to software, construction and engineering were in attendance at the event to share their skills and experience, and to hear from the team at the Houses of Parliament Restoration and Renewal Programme about the approach to getting local businesses involved in the major project to restore the Palace of Westminster.

Overall, North West England is currently the leading UK Region in terms of investment from Parliament restoration work. A £1.6m contract was also awarded last year to a Cumbria-based business to carry out specialised surveys of the Palace of Westminster. James Fisher Strainstall, a global leader and innovator in onshore and offshore load measurement and monitoring systems will deliver specialised monitoring of the Palace of Westminster throughout its restoration.

Andy Haynes, Commercial Director at the Houses of Parliament Restoration and Renewal Delivery Authority, said:- "Liverpool has the largest concentration of historic buildings outside London, so it was brilliant to discuss with local business leaders how they could support the restoration of the Palace of Westminster in the future. Parliament represents all peoples and Regions of the country, so it's really important that we make the most of skills here in Liverpool and the wider North West as they have a huge wealth of skills and enthusiasm that we will need to draw on as we restore the Palace."

Paul Cherpeau, Chief Executive of Liverpool Chamber of Commerce, said:- "We have an abundance of talent in the Liverpool City Region across all manner of sectors, and it is important that those businesses have a genuine opportunity to get involved in such an exciting project. While the restoration of the Houses of Parliament is still in the early stages, this initial consultation event gave attendees a real insight into the scale of the programme of work and how they can potentially play their part in this national endeavour. There is a clear ambition to recruit the best suppliers, regardless of where they are based, spreading economic benefit across the UK and creating genuine social value. We will be working with the project team to provide regular updates to local businesses and we look forward to welcoming them back to Liverpool in the near future."

The team delivering the Parliament restoration programme also viewed the Virtual Engineering Centre, at the University of Liverpool, to see how new digital engineering technology and skills could be used in the complex restoration work.

Both Houses of Parliament are committed to preserving the Palace for future generations.

The Palace is enormous and complex; the size of 16 football pitches, with the whole building sharing the same water, electric, sewage and gas system. Many of these services are 50+ years old and have reached the end of their lifespan. Hundreds of miles of pipes and cables need replacing. The scale of the challenge means more extensive restoration and renewal is needed as part of the overall plan for the Parliamentary buildings. Currently there are dozens of major projects underway to repair and restore key Parliamentary buildings by external firms and in-house Parliamentary teams which the Restoration and Renewal programme will work closely with to learn from and build the lessons into the overall restoration plans for the Palace.

In July 2022 Members of both Houses agreed there needs to be a more aligned and integrated approach to future restoration, prioritising safety critical work before the formal go-ahead and options for the overall restoration are confirmed.

In November 2022, news of the possible discovery of the medieval Thames River wall underneath the Houses of Parliament was revealed by the extensive programme of building investigations by restoration teams last year. Specialists spent 4850 hours examining 160 rooms and drilling boreholes up to 70 metres deep to assess ground conditions around the Palace of Westminster. The surveys are helping restoration teams develop the most detailed ever record of the Palace of Westminster to inform decisions about essential restoration work.

These surveys will inform a set of options, being developed by the Restoration and Renewal Delivery Authority, for how significant elements of the restoration work will be delivered and the level of ambition for restoration work. This will include:- variations on the time and extent to which Members and staff are asked to move out of the Palace to allow complex construction work to take place.

The volume and future scope of the main restoration works are not yet certain until approval is given by Members of both Houses to costed proposals, in advance of this Members will be asked to vote on a strategic case by the end of 2023. 

 
      
 
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