A Drag on your Business?

Mark Twain once said “If smoking is not allowed in heaven, I shall not go.”

Will your customers adopt the same approach?

That is the fear the hospitality sector faces with news last month that the Government is looking to extend the indoor smoking ban to cover beer gardens, restaurant terraces and other spaces outside licensed premises.

Have smokers met their match?

The proposal is another step towards gradually making smoking illegal to help reduce the number of preventable deaths linked to tobacco use, and the associated burden on the NHS.

An un-Lucky Strike for pubs?

Despite being welcomed by the health sector, leading figures in the hospitality industry have voiced their concerns since the announcement, saying that the suggested ban is an example of over-regulation that could result in fewer customers visiting pubs and bars, choosing to stay at home instead.

The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA), which represents 20,000 pubs in the UK, believes this ban could see a further reduction in the number of pubs across the country, still recovering from the after effects of the pandemic and cost of living crisis.

Kate Nicholls, Chief Executive of UKHospitality and Institute of Licensing National Chair has also said, “This ban would not only affect pubs and nightclubs, but hotels, cafes and restaurants that have all invested significantly in good faith in outdoor spaces and continue to face financial challenges”.

Since the Health Act 2007 first banned smokers from lighting up indoors, pubs and bars have adapted but now face further challenges about how they can best accommodate those customers who wish to smoke.  Unable to host them in dedicated areas under their control, smokers will be forced to seek shelter away from the pub, making monitoring and control much harder and even compromising safety.

It is not yet clear how and when this ban will apply, but we would recommend that operators review their licences now to check for any conditions that may apply to the management of smokers and start thinking about what might happen if the law were to come in effect.

If you’d like to discuss this topic, or any other licensing related issue, please contact our licensing team on 0161 832 3434.