Ealing Council Calls for a ‘Complete Ban’ on Disposable Vaping Devices in the UK

Ealing Council has passed a motion calling for a complete ban on the sale of disposable vaping devices in the borough in 2024. Although Labour, the Liberal Democrats, and the Conservatives largely shared the same position on the issue, the vote still featured the usual political sparring.

The motion calls on the council to use its licensing powers to restrict shops in Ealing from selling disposable vaping devices.

The Labour-majority council pushed back against the Liberal Democrats for bringing forward the motion, with several councillors saying there were more important issues to address and defending the council’s record on enforcing licensing objectives. However, speakers from all parties agreed that vaping and protecting children are priorities for the borough.

Councillor Connie Hersch, who introduced the motion, expressed concern about marketing these cigarette alternatives to children. She said: “The worst offenders are disposable vaping devices. They are cheap, brightly colored, candy-flavored, and have found a new market: children and teenagers.” This was followed by comments from Councillor Bassam Mahfouz, who said that during his time in cabinet he personally saw that some shop owners showed too little concern about children buying vaping products. He gave the example of one shop selling nicotine products to children in school uniform.

“I was informed that one particular shop known to me was not only selling [vapes] to young people, but was also selling directly to young people in school uniform after school.”
Despite these concerns, Labour’s amendment removed the Liberal Democrats’ effort to use licensing measures to stop vape sales, and instead shifted the focus to praising the council officers’ enforcement work. Councillor Dierdre CoSTIGan also referred to the environmental impact of vaping devices, noting that 5 million disposable vapes are thrown away each week in the UK.

The government recently closed its public consultation on potential smoking and vaping bans, amid growing political pressure and concerns that related activity is putting pressure on the NHS.

The amended motion passed almost unanimously, but it remains unclear how it will be implemented, as a borough-wide ban may not be feasible without government backing.