Taking a stand

The Publican's Butt Out! campaign has had overwhelming support. Tom Sandham went along to a Pubwatch meeting in South-East London to hear what the licensees had to say.

It's little wonder that as individuals licensees often feel they are fighting a tough old battle - with all the bureaucracy and legislative reform piling up these days, it's easy to get daunted by the challenge. Add a scare over a smoking ban in London and Liverpool into the mix and there's no doubt a fair few are almost ready to call time permanently.

Which is why this is a time when licensees shouldn't be acting as individuals but coming together to take on the challenges. This is an idea the publicans of Lewisham and Blackheath, in South London, embraced last week as they joined forces at a specially convened Pubwatch meeting to discuss the Private Bills on a smoking ban in Liverpool and London.

Sparked into action​

More than 70 licensees made it to the Stonewalls bar in Lewisham town centre having been sparked into action by The Publican's Butt Out! campaign aimed at fighting the proposal.

The Private Bills were brought to the House of Lords by Liverpool City Council and Westminster City Council - on behalf of all the London councils - and read for the first time on January 24. Petitions against the bills need to be lodged by next Monday, February 7.

If the councils are successful, trade leaders fear the Bills could result in a national smoking ban through the back door, with local authorities across England allowed to set their own smoking policies as early as 2006. At best, the trade could expect a patchwork effect, with some local authorities banning smoking in all public places, including pubs, and others allowing it to go ahead.

Licensees in Lewisham and Blackheath fear a ban could come into effect in their borough but not in those of their neighbours, Bromley, Southwark and Greenwich.

Steve Thompson, the licensee at Stonewalls, chaired the meeting and gave the audience a taste of what a ban would mean to his business.

"We've surveyed all our customers over the course of one weekend and there was overwhelming support for choice in our bar," said Steve. "Of all the customers on one Friday 246 were smokers and 156 weren't but only 14 per cent of the smokers wanted a ban, the majority agreed with a compromise.

"If the ban comes into force in London it will set a precedent. We need to make a statement to the council that this will ruin business, this is why we signed up to The Publican's campaign and hope others will follow."

After addressing the room and giving details of the Bills, Steve opened the floor for suggestions - and there were many.

Banning the council​

As well as full support for The Publican's campaign, those present talked of an open letter to the local newspaper, letters to MPs and even barring the mayor from their pubs. Closing premises down when the council meets to discuss and vote on the bill was also suggested and many agreed that the best way to have a say was to attend that meeting in full force.

Andy Reaper, licensee at the Ladywell Tavern, was at the meeting and agrees that the situation is serious. "We will close within a month if the ban comes in," he claimed. "Around 90 per cent of our customers are smokers, what worries me is that the council here has already made up its mind, but we will do what we can to fight them."

Adele McKenna, licensee at the Hobgoblin, was also on tenterhooks after the meeting, but felt placated by the number who turned out.

"It's good we are coming together and I support The Publican campaign and any other measures," she said. "We can't support an all out ban, it will have a massive impact on our businesses."

This doesn't seem to be a consideration for Lewisham Council though, which publicly backs a ban.

"The council supports the principle of a ban on smoking in public places, as proposed by the government," said a council's spokesman. "This will benefit the general public making use of these places as well as being a considerable health benefit to those people who work in them."

Brian Rees, licensee of the Lord Palmerston in Lewisham, also attended, but while he agreed that action must be taken to avoid a council ban, he also had a warning: "This has been coming for some time but too many people have been ignoring it. It will be with us soon enough and this should be a wake-up call for us all to start making changes in our business."

As the meeting in Lewisham proved, the best way to do this is by coming together. The Pubwatch meeting painted a reassuring picture and one that is hopefully happening around the country, because getting together and creating a crowd makes the voice of discontent a lot louder than facing this alone.

Add your voice to the debate​

To register your interest in the campaign and add your voice to the debate click here​.