Cheshire East is to continue a scheme which sees family members of pregnant women being paid in vouchers to stop smoking.

In 2022, the council's adults and health committee approved a financial incentive scheme to help pregnant women quit smoking.

Up to £400 worth of vouchers were given to the women for successfully reaching specific quit milestones.

Because of the impact of passive smoking on unborn children, household members could receive up to £200 in vouchers for stubbing out the habit.

On Monday 20 January committee members agreed to continue the scheme – but only for household members as the government has started a national financial incentives scheme for pregnant women.

Cllr Janet Clowes, Conservative group leader on Cheshire East Council, had worked on a portage home visiting scheme in Stoke children's services where heavy smoking was highly related to health problems in children (CEC).

Public health consultant Dr Matthew Atkinson told the committee: "Smoking and addressing smoking remains vitally important.

"It's a leading cause of premature, preventable deaths, and it causes harm to both babies and growing children and also others in their households.

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"It does also have huge costs to our health and social care system, so it's a 'win, win' if we manage to address it."

Some councillors questioned whether it was worthwhile continuing for household members when just eight family members had joined.

Dr Atkinson said: "We're just paying for the vouchers for those people.

"Yes, it would be better if more people were referred and we hope that, with the national scheme coming in, there's more awareness of it."

Cllr Janet Clowes (Wybunbury, Con) said she had worked on a portage home visiting scheme in Stoke children's services 'where heavy smoking was highly related to low birth weight, to prematurity and all sorts of other health issues for the child, giving them a really poor start in life'.

Councillor John Place, Bollington, Lab has backed the scheme (CEC).

Helen Charlesworth-May, executive director of adults, health and integration, said the annual report of the child death overview panel, shows that 'smoking is still one of the modifiable causes, a cause that could be changed, of death amongst our babies in Cheshire East'.

She recommended continuing the scheme for household members.

Cllr John Place (Bollington, Lab) said: "What the pregnant woman or the household member gets is support from professionals to actually quit and make it long term, so I would support it."

Twelve committee members voted to continue the voucher scheme for household members and one abstained.

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