Pub garden smoking ban ‘anti-hospitality’

THE boss of Brakspear has criticised government plans to introduce a smoking ban for pub gardens.

Tom Davies said that he is worried that the new Labour government is “anti-hospitality” and if the ban goes ahead it would be like living under a “nanny state”.

The government says it wants to prevent smoking in outdoor venues to curb the number of preventable deaths and alleviate pressure on the NHS.

It has also said that there would be a consultation with businesses before any measures are introduced.

Mr Davies, Brakspear’s managing director, told the Henley Standard: “I am very unhappy with the possibility of a smoking ban. It’s the sign of a nanny state government. It’s anti-hospitality and a worrying sign of things to come and is a concern.

“We need to wait and see if this is the route that they will eventually go down for public health reasons.

“But it needs to come with support for the hospitality sector and recognition for the role we play in communities and recognise that in the tax system if this is going to drive customers away reflect that in the way they treat pubs.

“There needs to be an awareness that this could damage hospitality business and there needs to be an understanding that they need to support hospitality, if the health lobby have got their claws into this government.”

Mr Davies said that is the ban is introduced, greater support needs to be given to the sector, whether it is reform of the rates on pubs and the levels of VAT and beer duty that the industry pays.

He said: “If fewer people go to pubs there needs to be a recognition of that with VAT and beer duty. There is also the promised a review on pubs’ rates which we are waiting to see the results on.

If they do that in conjunction with the ban then that’s fair enough but they almost certainly won’t. Changes will need be made to reflect that some people will choose to stay at home.”

Mr Davies said that his pubs would be well position

ed to deal with any smoking ban. He said: “Our pubs are well positioned we have good mix that we have excellent food and have lovely pubs and décor.

“I think that the element to smoke is relatively small. We don’t know completely how far this extended to. A lot of pubs don’t have pub gardens how far do you have to go on the pavements to smoke.”