Trade urged to "get out of denial" about the smoking ban
An industry leader has delivered a sharp rebuttal to critics who think the trade should still be fighting the smoking ban - and urged them to "get out of denial".
Nick Bish, chief executive of the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR), told delegates at the association's conference in Bristol yesterday it was time for more "commercial pragmatism" about the ban.
"It will happen and it will work. Where a ban has already been introduced it has proven popular. Barstaff in Scotland and Ireland have welcomed smokefree conditions and the public do applaud the ban," he declared.
"Critics say the ALMR should be seeking to overturn the ban - but I say we have got to get out of denial. Do something, come out of denial, get on with it, do it now!"
The theme was echoed by Les Murphy, trading director for Scottish & Newcastle UK, who said: "The sooner we get to grips with the fact that the ban is going to happen, the sooner we can get over it and start moving on in a post-smoking ban world."
Mr Murphy pointed out that licensees in England and Wales had an advantage over their counterparts in Scotland, because more of them were already serving food, more of them already had no-smoking areas and, thanks to the bans north of the border and in Ireland, they had more knowledge about how it might affect them.
Mr Bish went on to set out some of the points the ALMR is calling for in its submission to the government's current consultation on the details surrounding the ban, which closes on Monday (October 9).
The ALMR is demanding:
* Immediate clarity on what will be deemed to be a "substantially enclosed" area - and therefore one where smoking will not be allowed - under the new legislation
* Central planning guidance for local authorities
* A "sunset clause" for no-smoking signage - meaning signs should only be compulsory for the first two years of the ban
* That the offence of "failing to prevent" smoking on the premises - which could attract a fine of up to £2,500 - be moderated
* And that a sensible start-date is set - as the result of a "process to achieve an effective date, rather than one set arbitrarily".
Later Steve Perry, head of planning for Bristol City Council, urged operators to ask themselves two simple questions about any work they are planning for their outside areas, in the absence of the final guidelines from the government.
"Ask yourselves: what does it look like? And, are people in the new area likely to cause noise and disturbance to neighbours?" he said.
"In many ways these are the same questions we would use for any small development."
