WIREDGOV

The LGA's Community Wellbeing spokeswoman, Cllr Izzi Seccombe, responds to statistics from HSCIC on the number of women smoking while pregnant.

"Clearly it is a good thing that the number of pregnant women smoking is in decline and that it is at its lowest since records began.

"Since taking over responsibility for public health in April 2013, councils have invested heavily in helping people to quit smoking through working with health partners to run smoking cessation services in the community.

"However the country faces a wide regional variation and it is very worrying that in some areas rates are as high as one in four women smoking while pregnant.

"Councils are eager to tackle this and bring rates down but have serious concerns that the reductions in public health funding from government of more than £530 million could mean some services will have to be cut as a result, threatening to undermine future progress."

Notes to editors

Government has reduced councils' public health grant by £331 million from 2016/17 to 2020/21. This follows a £200 million in-year reduction in 2015/16