Disposable, or single use vapes, must be banned due to their environment, social and health impacts, say coastal councils.

The Local Government Association Coastal Special Interest Group has a membership of 57 coastal local authorities across England, covering around 60% of the coastline and 16 million people. As a group, they are joining the call of the Local Government Association to Government to ban the sale, manufacture and supply of single vapes by 2024.

Coastal communities, like many others, are being flooded with disposable vapes which local authorities are experiencing as a hazard in waste collection, impacts to the environment and across the education sector.

“We understand the opportunity that vapes give to those trying to give up smoking and believe that reusable vapes have a strong role to play in this. However, the vast amount of single use vapes that are marketed everywhere and sold in their millions are presenting a huge challenge for society.

“These vapes are hazardous presenting risk to our waste collectors. They are very difficult to recycle, with hours and specialist knowledge needed to dismantle them due to their parts including the lithium-ion batteries which are themselves dangerous as can cause fires if not disposed of correctly.

“The impact that they are having on our children is simply unacceptable, and whilst we welcome today’s news from one manufacturer around the removal of specific flavours from sale, we join the Local Government Association in their call for a full ban – stopping manufacture, supply and sale across the UK. Reusable vapes should still be made available but only via prescription from health services to support those who need it.

“We have seen the damage done to society by smoking of tobacco and we want Government to take the same strong line with vapes.”

The response of the LGA Coastal SIG, follows a meeting where the Group were joined by Cllr David Fothergill, Chairman of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board Chair:

“Councils are not anti-vapes, which are shown to be less harmful than smoking and have a place as a tool to use in smoking cessation.

“However, disposable vapes are fundamentally flawed in their design and inherently unsustainable products, meaning an outright ban will prove more effective than attempts to recycle more vapes.

“Single use vapes blight our streets as litter, are a hazard in our bin lorries, are expensive and difficult to deal with in our recycling centres. Their colours, flavours and advertising are appealing to children and the penalties for retailers selling them don’t go far enough.

“Councils urge the Government to take this action to protect our planet, keep children safe and save taxpayers money.”

The LGA Coastal SIG members voted to support this call from the LGA, alongside the Ban Disposable Vapes campaign of Laura Young, Less Waste Laura, who also spoke to the group. Laura has tirelessly campaigned to raise awareness of the dangers posed by the millions of single use vapes thrown away each week:

“Single-use vapes are one of the most wasteful products we’ve let into our world, and they pose health risks to young people picking up a habit.

“It is great to see the growing movement towards the ban of disposable vapes in the UK, something which the LGA has been championing!”

The UK Government currently have a live consultation looking specifically at youth vaping, access and marketing and disposability which we are all calling for people to respond. The deadline is the Wednesday 6^th December Creating a smokefree generation and tackling youth vaping – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Notes to editors

The LGA Coastal SIG champions the collective interests of coastal communities by increasing awareness and debate on environmental, economic, and social issues at all levels in relation to the coast. The Lead Authority for the LGA Coastal SIG is South Tyneside Council, who has held this position since September 2019 and the group is formed of 57 member councils, covering 60% of the English coastline and representing 16 million people.

Website: https://lgacoastalsig.com/  Contact lgacoastalsig@southtyneside.gov.uk  Chair: Cllr Ernest Gibson. Lead Officer: Beccy MacDonald-Lofts rebecca.lofts@southtyneside.gov.uk   Twitter: @LGACoastalSIG

Laura Young is a multi-award-winning climate activist, and ethical influencer. Laura’s social media platforms continue to grow, creating a community of activists. You can find her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube all under @LessWasteLaura. She was recently awarded the Scottish Influencer of the Year – Inspiration for her work.

Laura started, and continues to lead, the campaign to see single-use disposable vapes banned across Scotland and the UK. This work has been nominated for a Holyrood Climate Action award, and has led the UK Government to launch a consultation on the issue. You can find out more about Laura’s work here: https://www.lesswastelaura.com/

Parliamentary Drop-In Session, Portcullis House 

Monday 4^th September 2023

Committing to National Marine Parks 

On Monday 4^th September 2023 Luke Pollard MP hosted a parliamentary drop-in event in Westminster with the Blue Marine Foundation, Campaign for National Parks and the Local Government Association. All political parties were asked to make a commitment to National Marine Parks a part of their General Election manifesto. 

The drop-in event was attended by MPs, Peers and civil servants from the three main parties. This included Abena Oppong-Asare MP (Labour, Erith and Thamesmead), Daniel Zeichner MP (Labour, Cambridge), Barry Gardiner MP (Labour, Brent North), Christina Rees MP (Independent, Neath) and Ruth Jones MP (Labour, Newport West) and with whom we discussed the Severn Sea. Sally-Ann Hart MP (Con, Hastings and Rye) participated in her capacity as Chair of the Coastal Communities All Party Parliamentary Group. Flick Drummond MP (Con, Meon Valley) and Selaine Saxby MP (Con, North Devon) also participated. The Liberal Democrat’s Richard Foord MP (Tiverton and Honiton) dropped-in to discuss opportunities across Devon and later flagged the event at their Defra cluster this week. Peers Lord Lucas and John Spellar attended and Danielle Rooke from the Defra 30×30 team participated in lively and engaging discussions, with much enthusiasm for the idea and how to progress it. Suggestions included preparing a five-year plan towards achieving National Marine Plans, follow-up letters to all parties, further engagement with DEFRA and the Governments statutory advisory bodies, plus requesting NMPs are put forward for an EFRA Committee enquiry. 

The three partners involved in bringing the NMP vision to Parliament will be working together on future advocacy and funding plans. Their ‘asks’ of all political parties are to: 

1. Pursue the vision for National Marine Parks around Britain 

2. Support communities to acquire voluntary NMP status 

3. Support the concept of National Parks in the sea 

Their overall manifesto ask for the next general election is to explore routes to realise National Marine Parks across Britain. The Scottish Government are already consulting on locations for new National Parks and hoping at least one will include a coastal/marine area. Blue Marine is offering guidance to Scottish coastal communities interested in submitting an expression of interest. 

Fourteen partners have signed up to a National Framework for National Marine Parks which defines the purpose, a definition, objectives and principles. Guidance has also been released to guide facilitators in different locations across Britain through ten steps to achieve this new status. 

NMP Parliamentary Event organising team 

From left to right: Luke Pollard MP, Aisling McGarrigle (Blue Marine Foundation), Gary Charlton (Natural England), Tom Appleby (Blue Marine Legal Advisor), Martin Attrill (NMP National Strategic Working Group Chair/Plymouth University), Charles Clover (Blue Marine Foundation co-founder), Natasha Bradshaw (NMP Researcher), Rose O’Neill (Campaign for National Parks CEO), Beccy MacDonald-Lofts (LGA Coastal SIG), Joe Richards (Blue Marine Foundation – Scotland Project Manager), Marina Windsor (Blue Marine Foundation). 

Coastal communities are on the frontline of climate change, with some areas facing significant physical changes resulting from coastal erosion and flooding. Coastal Change Management Areas (CCMAs) are a significant tool to inform planning and management across a shoreline area that is at risk of significant change resulting from the impacts of climate change, and encourage the integration of terrestrial and marine planning.

Join the Local Government Association Coastal Special Interest Group’s (LGA Coastal SIG) Lunch & Learn on Tuesday 14 November 2023 12:00-13:00:

Addressing coastal change within local planning policy in Cornwall – Rhys Hobbs, Cornwall Council

Cornwall’s beautiful coastline is an asset of significant cultural and economic value to our residents, local communities and visitors which stretches for 422 miles. The Cornish coast is a dynamic system, affected by the movement of waves, tides, wind and sediment. In order to strategically plan the future development of the dynamic coastline the Climate Change Development Plan Document (DPD) was implemented following the Climate Emergency declaration in 2019. Various coastal change policies within the DPD help to assess coastal risk and ensure that development is strategic, safe and sustainable across the course of its lifetime. The session will explain these new policies, their context, how they are being applied and share lessons learned from their implementation.

Our coastline is a spectacular and amazing place, home to some of our most special wildlife and traditional seaside towns but also a place that has received much pessimism in recent months despite the Year of the Coast 2023 campaign that has showcased how much our coastal regions have to offer.

The OneCoast Coalition, a collaborative alliance between the Local Government Association Coastal Special Interest Group, Coastal Communities Alliance, Coastal Partnership Network and National Coastal Tourism Academy, strive to raise the profile of the coast and all it has to offer.

Speaking on behalf of OneCoast, Beccy MacDonald-Lofts, of the LGA Coastal SIG, told us “The uniqueness that our coastal areas offer is something that we find nowhere else in the country. Just the sight of the sea is something that personally brings me a sense of comfort and happiness, something I know is shared by the thousands who visit our coastline every week. As OneCoast, we work together to raise the profile of challenges faced by the communities living in these unique areas and the potential solutions to make these areas thriving and resilient. We’re delighted to have developed the Pledge initiative, an idea originally developed by Coastal Partnership East, to give everyone across the country the opportunity to engage with, and pledge their support, for our coastal areas.”

The Pledge for the Coast initiative launched in Parliament supported by the All Party Parliamentary Group for Coastal Communities, chaired by Sally-Ann Hart MP.

Sally-Ann told us “As the MP for Hastings and Rye, I know first-hand how incredible our coast and coastal communities are and how important it is for us to ensure that they receive the right support and focus. I am proud to be the Chair for the APPG for Coastal Communities, and of the work that we have achieved together in highlighting coastal communities.

By working with other likeminded MPs, supported by our co-secretariat, we have been able to deliver a coastal inquiry like no other, and we focus on delivering actions after every session that we hold. Through all our sessions there is one common call from MPs and other organisations, that is for a dedicated Minister for the Coast who can bring together all the actions which need to be delivered in order to unleash the potential of our coastal communities, so that rather than be a problem to solve, they become a resource to the U.K.

I’m delighted to be able to support the Pledge for the Coast initiative at the in-Parliament event and as an MP I am pledging my continued support for the APPG, which has written a letter to all party leaders, calling for a dedicated Minister to be added to their Manifestos.”

The letter (see below) has been signed by cross-party MPs from the Conservatives, Labour, Liberal Democrats and the Green Party, supported by the OneCoast Coalition, and a number of other organisations and councils.

The Pledge for the Coast is available for everyone to participate in, from communities, businesses and organisations through to councils and Parliamentarians. Hosted on the LGA Coastal SIG website, you can make your pledge to support the coast from a choice of options or by creating your own pledge. All pledges are hosted on an interactive map and participants are welcomed to share their #CoastalPledge – what will you pledge today?

“As Chair of the LGA Coastal SIG, I am proud we are supporting World Drowning Prevention Day, 25 July 2023.

World Drowning Prevention Day is a chance for everyone to reflect on what they can do to protect themselves and the people they love from drowning.” Cllr Ernest Gibson, South Tyneside Council

The LGA Coastal SIG annually support World Drowning Prevention Day and are delighted that we were able to support the National Water Safety Forum and RNLI to deliver an in-parliament event in our capacity as co-secretariat for the All Party Parliamentary Group for Coastal Communities on 11 July. The event heard from several speakers and was well attended by MPs who came to hear how they can support this initiative and pledge to “do one thing” for the 25th July.

Seaside towns and communities have continued to see a lack of progress in tackling entrenched problems to enable these areas to flourish.

The Government’s Levelling up agenda, which aspires to target areas in the most need, is welcome but more needs to be done to target seaside towns and communities which are yet to receive the support they need. The responsibility for seaside towns and communities ought to be allocated to a Levelling Up Ministerial portfolio. This will give these areas the recognition they need and add a necessary voice in discussions on levelling up.

The Government needs to work with the Local Government Association, coastal interest groups, the private sector, the third sector and other stakeholders to develop a coastal communities strategy in order to demonstrate clear mechanisms to successfully address the long-standing disparities faced by seaside towns and communities.

The draft strategy, covering issues such as transport and digital connectivity, education, and health and wellbeing, should be put to the House of Commons Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee to ensure effective scrutiny of the strategy ahead of implementation. This work should be started as a matter of urgency to ensure that disparities do not become further entrenched.

Initiatives such as the Levelling Up Partnerships are to be commended and are positive steps towards place-based solutions, however the Government needs to ensure that lessons learned and best practice is shared to benefit other areas that face similar challenges.

These are some of the key findings and recommendations of a new report from the House of Lords Liaison Committee that follows up the 2019 report by the Select Committee on Regenerating Seaside Towns and Communities.

Lord Bassam of Brighton, former Chair of the Select Committee on Regenerating Seaside Towns and Communities, said:

“Four years on from our original report we have seen little progress in seaside towns and communities and their endemic problems continue to persist.

“The Government’s Levelling up agenda wasn’t really a ‘thing’ when we carried out our inquiry, but the aspiration to target areas in the most need aligns with many of the conclusions and recommendations in our 2019 report to support seaside towns and communities.

“What these communities need now is urgent action to address the combination of deeply entrenched issues they face. This demands a long-term strategy from the Government. Not a succession of short-term initiatives. It must find a way to provide the support needed for effective regeneration and to address systemic challenges.”

The committee’s other findings and recommendations include:

• While the Government has recognised the complexity of the current funding landscapes and the pitfalls involved in the bidding systems in place, the Government’s funding review must establish a clearer and more effectively targeted system. The review needs to acknowledge and address the need for long-term funding to address deep-rooted challenges faced in these areas and create sustainable change in seaside towns and communities.
• The Committee welcomes steps to grant greater powers to local areas to enable greater place-based decision making. It remains essential that coastal towns and communities are not lost amongst the challenges and competing concerns that local authorities face, so future deals and local authority arrangements should reflect the needs of seaside towns and communities in their remit and appropriate geographical area.
• The Committee reiterates the 2019 recommendation that the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities should work with the Department for Transport to ensure that areas of most need are properly prioritised for planning and investment. The current approach is clearly not effective, and innovative solutions are needed to provide transport networks that work for coastal areas
• The Government must keep the Education Investment Areas and Priority Education Investment Areas selected under review to assess whether these are effectively targeting the areas of greatest need.

PDF of report – https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld5803/ldselect/ldliaison/235/235.pdf

HTML of report – https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld5803/ldselect/ldliaison/235/23502.htm