Trade leaders fear unfair proposals will close thousands of smaller pubs
by Tony Halstead
Trade leaders have claimed that plans for special smoking rooms in pubs would lead to major divisions within the industry.
Two influential trade bodies fear proposed smoking rooms would only benefit bigger pubs with the space and money to provide the new facilities. The Federation of Licensed Victual-lers Associations (FLVA) and pub managers' union NALHM say thousands of smaller pubs would see their trade decimated as a result.
Both claim smoking rooms would require a high level of supervision to guard against drug taking and other social ills.
FLVA chief executive Tony Payne said CCTV, glass screens and sophisticated smoke extractor systems might be the minimum equipment required under the proposals.
'It would simply be too much for many smaller pubs even if they had the required space to create these rooms.
'I stand by my forecast that some 25% of pubs could close down if an effective all-out smoking ban operated and drove their customers to different venues where smoking was allowed,' Payne said.
NALHM president Dave Daly said only bigger town and city-centre venues would have the floor space and the money to finance the new rooms.
'While the prospect of smoking rooms might provide a few crumbs of comfort for smokers it is already clear these places would be expensive to run and need an awful lot of security.
'It's also clear a lot of smaller pubs just have not got the resources to compete with the big operators and they will undoubtedly suffer without smoking customers,' he said.
The Government's plans were due to be published in a new Health Bill yesterday but a widely-publicised cabinet split, caused by the smoking room and club exemption issues, has thrown the proposals into disarray.
Health secretary Patricia Hewitt is determined to press ahead with a full ban but faces opposition from other cabinet members, notably former health secretary John Reid who wants clubs to be exempted.
Managing director of Mid-lands brewer and pub operator Hardys & Hansons, Tim Bonham, has called for consistency in the new legislation.
'Whatever the Government proposes it is vital there is consistency, which means no ex- emptions favouring one sector of the trade.
'I think the industry is against private members' clubs being exempted from any ban while the smoking room scheme, which could be seen as a victory for consumer choice, would actually discriminate against smaller pubs.
'If legislation is not consistent it is bad legislation,' he said.
l Bonham on H&H - p14
Mixed views on smoking rooms
Hosts this week gave the smoking room idea a mixed reception.
Licensee David Heyes of the Garsdale, Bury, Manchester, said only large pubs could realistically house the smoke rooms. 'We have two gazebos and a static marquee in our beer garden so smokers will be reasonably well looked after,' he said.
Alan Newnes of the Builders Arms, Knutsford, Cheshire, said: 'I would simply not have the space to build a smoke room. A lot of our regulars are smokers and because of the lay-out we have to allow smoking throughout. We are so confined for space that we have no alternatives if we want to keep our regulars,' he said. Neil Monkman of the Fleece, Elland near Halifax, West Yorkshire, said: 'I am lucky because there is plenty of spare floorspace here to build a special room. But many other pubs will not have anything like sufficient room. It all depends on the cost but this could be a lifeline for licensees with big pubs.'
Allan Hayes of the Buck House, Bangor-on-Dee, north Wales, says he could be a double loser. 'We will be forced to go no-smoking when the Welsh Assembly passes its own Bill and, even if we can hang on to our smoking customers, they might be tempted to travel two miles across the border into England if the smoke-room scheme catches on,' he said.