Grants of more than £3m to tackle substance misuse, alcohol abuse and smoking in Rotherham
The funding is provided by the government
Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council is set to receive more than £3m in public health grants to tackle substance misuse and alcohol abuse, as well as help people to quit smoking, across the borough.
The funding is provided by the government as part of a public health initiative to support councils to tackle substance misuse and smoking.
For the 2025/26 financial year, RMBC will receive £2.2m to support residents access treatment services for drug and alcohol misuse quickly, as well as enhanced support for families, criminal justice provisions, and additional residential rehabilitation placements.
The funding also helps increase clinical capacity to ensure more people can be treated and supported in their recovery journey.
A portion of this funding will go towards inpatient detoxification services, which provide a controlled and supportive environment for residents who need detoxification from drugs or alcohol with medical supervision.
Almost £400,000 will fund Rotherham’s smoking cessation services, to help reduce smoking rates across the borough.
This funding will strengthen local stop-smoking services, making them more accessible and effective. It will support activities such as offering advice and resources to those wanting to quit, running quit-smoking campaigns, and providing one-on-one support to individuals.
More than £165,000 of the funding will help individuals currently receiving treatment for substance misuse find and keep employment.
RMBC’s cabinet is now seeking approval to delegate the spending decisions for these grants to the director of public health, ensuring the funds are spent effectively in line with grant conditions and local health strategies.
It will be discussed at the next meeting on March 17.