Higher fines and lifetime tobacco ban among changes discussed by Portsmouth councillors

Portsmouth is preparing for big changes to smoking and vaping laws, with tougher penalties and a permanent tobacco ban for younger generations.

Portsmouth City Council has discussed smoking and vaping ahead of new legislation and enforcement powers.

At a recent health and wellbeing overview and scrutiny panel meeting, councillors heard about changes introduced under the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which was passed in April this year.

The legislation includes an age-of-sale restriction, meaning anyone born on or after 1 January 2009 will never be able to legally purchase tobacco products.

It also strengthens rules around vaping to reduce its appeal to children and young people and introduces stronger enforcement powers, including a licensing scheme for retailers.

Helen Atkinson MBE, the council’s director of public health, welcomed the changes. She said that “smoking tobacco is still the single greatest cause of early death” and expressed optimism that Portsmouth would be able to implement the measures effectively.

Gareth Spooner, a public health development manager, said there was a “fine balance” to be struck with vaping, as it is “one of the most successful methods” for adults quitting smoking “but at the same time we don’t want our young people to use them”.

He said the new enforcement measures should result in higher fines and more closure orders for shops that sell illegal vapes and tobacco products.

Ms Atkinson said: “Some people see it as we’re being a bit mean because if you don’t have much money, what we’re doing is taking away cheap alternatives. But the reality is that sales of those products are actually funding modern slavery and quite a lot of crime.”

The Government is also introducing a vaping products duty, a flat-rate excise tax of £2.20 per 10ml of liquid alongside standard 20 per cent VAT.

However, concerns were raised that the tax could make vaping less accessible for people on low incomes, potentially leading some to return to smoking rather than seek support to quit.

Mr Spooner said the duty is being introduced in October this year to “try and reduce the appeal to young people”.

He added that part of the council’s wellbeing service provides free vapes and vape liquid to smokers who want to quit.

The Wellbeing Service provides 12 weeks of support and stop-smoking medication. It received 1,779 referrals for stop-smoking support during the third and fourth quarters of 2025/26, including 86 people with multiple support needs.

The service helped 320 people successfully quit smoking after four weeks last year. Meanwhile, 55 people took up the no-commitment ‘Try a Vape’ offer at community pop-ups, with eight subsequently quitting smoking through the scheme.

The government is expected to consult the public on vape flavour names, packaging and the licensing scheme later this year.

If you’re considering quitting smoking you can access support from the wellbeing service or on the NHS website.