Town hall pays staff for time off to quit smoking

They have allocated £6,000 of taxpayers' money to help their employees kick the habit.

Councillors have been left stunned by the decision, while residents have called it a "joke".

A report on the proposals, released yesterday by North Shropshire district council, said: "Where a GP recommends support for smoking cessation, the council will allow employees reasonable time off with pay for counselling.

"The council will also assist with related prescription costs for a period of up to 12 months while the employee or member is employed by the council."

Visits to counsellors, arranged by the council's "smoke-free technical officer", are to be funded by a £3,390 "duty of care" budget and a £2,400 health budget.

Councillor Peggy Carson said: "I was flabbergasted such an idea could be mooted and furious it has actually been passed. It is entirely wrong. If members of staff can afford to pay for cigarettes then they can afford to pay to stop smoking.

"I have a lot of sympathy for people in North Shropshire who pay their council taxes and see it wasted willy nilly like this. Where does the line stop? Will staff be given paid time off to help quit other addictions like alcohol?

"This kind of decision making is belittling to people. I don't smoke myself but if I did, I'd find this sort of offer insulting and would not take it."

David White, 53, who lives in Wem, said: "No doubt most of the councillors are smokers - it's a joke. If I worked for the council this would encourage me to start smoking, just to get the time to give up."

A spokesman for North Shropshire District Council admitted a "sizeable chunk" of its 250 staff smoked. Chief executive Nicola Yates, said: "This is a sensible business decision. It makes better sense to pay a small amount of money now to help people quit than risk staff being absent through illness and ill-health in the future."

• President Bush has threatened to veto a decision to double the tax on cigarettes to pay for health coverage for poor children.

The Senate overwhelmingly passed the bill earlier this week, which would add around 30p to a pack of 20 cigarettes and provide £3.5billion a year to insure three million children.

But Mr Bush, whose Republican Party is heavily supported by the southern tobacco-growing states, said the tax was too high and would lead to "socialised medicine".