Pubs need more time for smoking ban

Large numbers of pubs in England and Wales say they need more time to prepare for the smoking ban than the government is factoring in.

More than half of Publican readers (51 per cent) in England and Wales say they will need more than six months to prepare for a ban - while one in six (16 per cent) believe it will take 18 months or more to push through planning applications for the outside shelters they believe will soften the impact of the ban.

One in four licensees (26 per cent) claim they will not be able to afford to carry out any work on their pubs before 2008. However, one in three (36 per cent) said they were prepared to commit up to £2,000 as soon as the details of the ban are revealed.

The figures, from readers who responded to our joint survey with Club Mirror, expose the fear in the trade that the introduction of the smoking ban will be as badly planned as the Licensing Act.

Although health minister Lord Warner told the House of Lords earlier this month the precise details of what form the ban would take would be out "very soon", there is still no firm indication of when the guidelines will be published.

With consultation on the details not likely to be completed until the end of the year, the final guidelines will be handed over just months before the expected summer 2007 start-date.

The report findings will now be forwarded to MPs and Lords. Other findings of the survey of 183 Publican readers in England and Wales included:

• One in 10 pubs said they were completely landlocked and had no area they could convert for outside smoking
• Four out of 10 pubs believe they will be forced to cut staff as a result of the ban
• Respondents believe that an average 46 per cent of their regular customers are smokers
• Six out of 10 said there was no need for no-smoking signage
• More than one in four (29 per cent) believe that the ban will bring in new customers - but eight out of 10 (81 per cent) believe they will lose some existing customers.

Caroline Nodder, editor of The Publican, said: "Our survey has highlighted the need for action now to ensure there is enough time for pubs to adapt to the ban.

"I hope the results also spur ministers to consider the impact planning regulations might have on pubs and to act to ensure the ban does not become another red tape nightmare."

Nick Bish, chief executive of the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers, said: "These figures show the uncertainty and confusion which is surrounding the issue among pubs. You've got a few who are saying 'bring it on!' but the core of the industry are community pubs where a great many customers are male smokers.

"They need the regulations as soon as possible so they can define what their problems are."

Peter Eveleigh, licensee at the Riverside Inn in Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire said whenever the details were revealed it was likely to be too late. "We have an area which could accommodate smokers outside but we are a listed building in a conversation area.

"My concern is that by the time local authorities and conservationists agree it will be too late. The planning application will take six to eight months, and that will be before we even get to contracting the work."

Phil Taylor-Jones, licensee at the Cannon in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, said: "A year's not long enough. Half of my customers are smokers and they are going to need a long time to get used to the idea.

"We've got a garden and we're thinking of converting some of it to a covered area. We've got a rough idea of what we want to do but until we get the green light we can't do anything."