The smoking ban 10 years on – and how it has affected pubs

TEN years ago, on July 1 2007, smoking in all enclosed public places, including pubs and bars, was banned, writes Neville Grundy.

Camra’s policy was for a ban in single-room pubs while proposing separate smoking rooms in multi-room pubs, but as we know the Government chose a complete ban.,

Supporters of the ban argued that they wanted to drink in a smoke-free environment, and pointed to the risks of passive smoking.

Opponents argued that better pub ventilation systems would resolve the problem of smoke, and denied there was any evidence that second-hand smoke had health risks.

While I am not qualified to comment on that final point, the NHS strongly disagrees with it.

One immediate consequence was a drop in pub trade, and probably some pubs with low profit margins became unviable as a result and closed.

However, drinking had been in continuous decline anyway since before the ban: the Office of National Statistics’ annual survey suggested that in 2016, drinking among adults aged 16 years and over was at the lowest level seen since the surveys began in 2005.

There are several other possible reasons affecting pub usage, but insufficient space here to cover them.

As time passes, it becomes increasingly unlikely the ban will be relaxed because nowadays most people expect a smoke-free environment wherever they go.

The number of smokers continues to fall, from 20% in 2007 to 15.6% now and all drinkers aged under 28 have never known smoking in pubs and bars anyway.

In fact, the only change governments of any persuasion have considered since 2007 has been whether to extend the ban; so far, they have not.

There is no doubt that the ban has fundamentally changed the experience of pub-going in this country, whether for the better or worse is a matter of opinion.

One thing is completely certain: it’s now more than ten years since I’ve walked home from a pub with my clothes smelling of smoke.

FESTIVAL NEWS

Summer Beer, Cider and Gin Festival (see right): July 20-23. Cricketers Arms, 64-68 Peter Street, St Helens, WS10 2EB. Website: tiny.cc/ggpfmy.

Camra Shrewsbury Beer and Cider Festival: July 20-22 at the Wakeman Campus, Shrewsbury College, Shrewsbury SY2 6AA.

Website: tiny.cc/ieofmy. Southport and West Lancs Camra: www.southport.camra.org.uk. For previous Camra pub reviews in this paper, go to: tinyurl.com/vis-pubs.