Smokers, drinkers and overweight people are to be given their own lifestyle coaches as part of a new project in Wolverhampton set to cost taxpayers £700,000, the Express & Star can reveal today.

Wolverhampton City Primary Care Trust wants to recruit about 25 coaches to help people in deprived parts of the city get healthy. The scheme, one of the first in the country, is expected to help about 5,000 people a year, in areas such as Heath Town, Low Hill, East Park, Ettingshall and Bilston.

“Lifestyle trainers” will be tutored by the PCT, which pays for and provides health services in Wolverhampton, and given a qualification.

They will then be based at local gyms, leisure centres, GP surgeries and community centres. People will get help losing weight, kicking smoking and other problems at face-to-face appointments and in phone calls.

City director of public health Adrian Philips said today: “This is a new thing in Wolvehampton and is actually quite new country-wide. We want specialist staff to support people as lifestyle trainers – we want local people to be supported by local trainers.”

Mr Philips said the scheme was still in the early stages but there was already talk of a city centre drop-in base for people looking to get help. He said there were a number of “exciting ideas” to be considered.

The PCT’s advertisement for coaches says: “The health trainer service is a health improvement and inequalities service that aims to support people to make changes to their daily lifestyle which will improve their health and well-being.

“The service in Wolverhampton will target priority areas and communities whose current health status is of concern. The service will also work with related services such as smoking cessation, exercise on referral and weight management to ensure that people can get support for their chosen lifestyle change.”

Councillor Les Pugh, city council cabinet member for adults, today said: “If it’s Government money, then I think it has to be welcomed.

“I smoked for a long, long time but I’ve given up now and I think if people need help, it should be there. There are overweight people in all parts of the city so I’m not sure if it should target particular wards though.”