Is smoking ban closing pubs? (assignment 2 - article 2)

Lancashire pub owners fear that the smoking ban will force them to close shop.

Since the introduction of the smoking ban on 1st July 2007, it has been illegal for smokers to light up in public places and now many prefer to stay at home than go to their local boozer.

With the recent economic recession adding to troubles, many Preston pubs are forced to call it a day and leave the market for mainstream chains.

The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) say that compared to this time last year, beer sales across UK pubs are down by 8.1 percent. From July to September 104 million less pints were sold, which is 1.1 million pints a day.

The BBPA blame the figures on the credit crunch, yet pub landlords are still pointing the blame at last year’s smoking ban and the accompanying expenses.

Too expensive

Ronnie Fitzpatrick, chairman of Preston Licensed Victuallers Association and landlord of the Dog and Partridge on Friargate says that running a pub in recent times is expensive.

He said: “Now that people have to smoke outside we have to provide lights, heaters and smoking shelters.

“With booze so cheap at supermarkets people prefer to stay and home and drink and smoke.”

Biggest health improvement in decades

Many, however, are keen to shift the blame away from the smoking ban, which helped 400,000 people kick the habit last year.

Amanda Sandford of the campaigning charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) says that she feels pub sales have been falling for some time.

She said: “A lot of people blame the smoking ban for the decline in pub trade but the truth is that the pub trade was declining before the ban. I think the main factor is that alcohol is so cheap to buy from the supermarket. And I think the credit crunch has added to these troubles.

“The smoking ban was probably the single biggest improvement in the health of society in decades. Not only does it prevent the damaging effects of passive smoking but it encourages people to stop as well.

“Very few smokers actually complain about it, after all the law doesn’t say they can’t smoke, it says they can’t smoke in places where it may affect others. In fact 70 percent of smokers want to quit. All these people with freedom issues are, in a sense, hypocrites. They are not free, they are heavily addicted.”

Interestingly despite figures showing pub sales falling, there has been an increase in applications for alcohol licences over the last year. Mrs Sandford puts this down to pubs moving on,

“Pubs need to step up, need to sell food and create a more family friendly atmosphere. I think these are the pubs that will survive.”

(Picture - urbanlegend)