Advertisement
End smoking ban to save our pubs: UKIP
Date published: 24 August 2009
New figures showing that pubs are closing at the rate of 52 a week have been greeted with anger by the UK Independence Party.
Local Euro-MP and the party’s chairman, Paul Nuttall, is blaming the smoking ban and says landlords should be free to allow customers to light up.
He said: “Pubs are at the hub of our culture and communities and they are being driven into oblivion by a plethora of restrictive rules and increased beer taxes.
“These rules include the draconian smoking ban, which we know from our nationwide ‘Save the Pub’ campaign, has been a major factor in pub closures.
“Licensees should have the freedom to choose whether to allow smoking on their premises and beer taxes should be cut. If it was not bad enough already the EU now wants to ban smoking in beer gardens.
“The rate of closure is accelerating and represents the steepest rate of decline since records began in 1990.
“The figures have risen by a third compared with the same period last year, when 36 pubs were closing every week.
“What is happening is a tragedy for the British way of life. Research for the British Beer and Pub Association shows that local pubs serving small communities have been the worst hit.
“Many of these are communities that are already struggling with post office closures and inadequate public transport. The social implications are enormous and a structured way of life, with its inherent checks and balances, is being eroded, probably for ever.
“Nowadays it is commonplace for young people to get drunk on cheap alcohol at home and then go out and behave disgracefully.
“It is vital the Government takes urgent action to help the pub trade, so helping local communities.
“And there are grave concerns about the attitude and behaviour of some pub companies whose actions are aggravating the situation.”
Comments
Pubs are closing at the rate of 52 a week- how many people die from cancer per week?
Its not the smoking ban that's wrong, it's the filthy habit of smoking and forcing everyone to take in their smoke that's wrong.
At least I can now sit in a pub and not have sore eyes.
The thing that puts people off pubs is the drinking louts-sort them out.
It's not just smoking I know of three that were targeted by local thugs to harass the regulars when going home, sales & profits down, then comes the sale and we we all know who buys them......
High rents and rates are the biggest problems facing the pub trade. It's now pleasant to sit in a pub without the stench of smoke and the associated health implications. You can bet this clown is just another smoker who wants to force the cancerous waste from his drug addiction on other people.
The answer is simple. Those drinking establishments that serve food - even if only for a few hours a day and even if only sandwiches & pies, should be non-smoking.
Those that only serve drinks and crisps, nuts etc should be allowed to be smoking at the discretion of the licensee.
There should also be a bye-law banning people from standing outside pub grounds with a glass or bottle.
What a refreshing change to hear an MP actually saying something sensible. lets give the pubs the help they need to run their own business.
The smokers themselves started emptying the pubs long before the smoking ban. We used to go to our local pub regularly and put up with the discomfort of sore eyes, sore throats and smelly clothes until it just got too much to bear, so we stopped going and so did our friends, We got used to not going to the pub. Smokers blame yourselves.
Let the landlord/landlady decide whether to have a smoking or non-smoking pub, or a designated area. If the smoking ban is lifted, I bet plenty of customers will return. The ban is too draconian; extraction equipment these days is more than capable of keeping the air clear. I'm a smoker and I don't like pubs where the air is full of smoke, but I've reduced my pub visits since then ban.
It is always amusing as a Landlord of 25 years and a life long never smoker when I read such ill informed comment like P.Nicholl. For the record Mr Nicholl, 104 pubs closed in 2005/6, 206 closed in 2006/7 and 1884 closed in 2007/8, post the smoking ban. Many of these were rural community pubs who had 80% smoking customers, many of them didn't have outside areas.
Since then the number has risen to 4500 and rising.
It saddens me to see people having to stand outside an already empty pub for a smoke, I mean, its a pub for goodness sake. The smoking ban has been devistating for the pub/club industry, bring back choice and stop the nannying. The experiment is over, its not worked. UKIP gets my vote, one up for common sense!
Cheap Booze from supermarkets & the smoking ban MUST be detrimental to the health of families ! Fighting over the television remote control whilst being drunk in a smokey room. Is that why domestic abuse has gone through the roof ?
Keith- so we all know who's fault this is do we! according to bobfm its 4500 and rising, some of of "them" have been really busy!!
your a joke!!
Have Your Say
i as a non smoker cannot undersand why they ever banned smoking in pubs when i went into a pub i knew i was going into a smokey place. now they have banned it its not worked so why not reinstate smoking letting the landlords/ladies decide and place notices up outside saying if the pub is smoking or non smoking and then the public can daecided to go drinking there or not simple i think
By kardan @ 24/08/2009 13:47:28