'The hollow boast of the smoking ban'

Last year a leading health insurance company claimed that the English smoking ban would "enable village and town pubs across the UK to play an even more integral role in community life". Today that boast raises a hollow laugh as village after village and town after town lose their pubs. Research by trade magazine The Publican shows that only one in three licensees has attracted new customers since the new rules came in last July. The ban, the rising beer duty, cheap supermarket booze, soaring costs and now a new breed of anti-alcohol puritans are condemning thousands of pubs to closure - Sunday People​

The number of smokers successfully quitting has soared because of the smoking ban in England, which celebrates its first anniversary this week. Research shows that almost 235,000 people managed to stub it out with help from the NHS in the nine months from April to December 2007 - up 22 per cent on the year before. The figures, in a Department of Health report to be published next week, are being used as evidence that the smoking ban in enclosed public spaces has been a success. Chief Medical Officer Sir Liam Donaldson said: "The significance of the smoke-free laws cannot be overestimated. A significant reduction in second-hand smoke with its damaging health effects has been achieved. We expect many lives have been saved. Everyone has the right to enjoy the benefits of a cleaner, healthier environment." - Observer​

As we witness the growing numbers of pub closures there are significant social and cultural ramifications attached to the disappearance of the everyday, down-at-heel corner boozer, writes Kate Burt. "Where else - apart from, possibly, the Post Office queue - do different ages, classes and cultures combine on equal footing and communicate, sharing a story, gripe or joke? All these reasons and more are why I started 'Save the Boozer' (www.savetheboozer.com), an online celebration of old-style pubs to remind people to support and cherish their unglamorous local while they still can." - Independent On Sunday​

"It's hard to get a pub right — and even harder to make money out of one," writes Alex James, farmer and former bass player with rock band Blur. "I've thought about dabbling on numerous occasions, but the margins are tight and the investment that is necessary to turn an ageing property into the requisite all-natural haven of organic calm is substantial. So much muscle has been assembled to make a go of the Olde Bell in Berkshire — property tycoon, top designer (in this case, Ilse Crawford), top chef, top staff — but although the property is transformed, getting the food just so is only half the battle, and many devoted, campaigning chefs are let down by lackadaisical front-of-house staff." - Sunday Times​