Inside Track by Peter Martin
To read the national press over recent weeks, you would be forgiven for thinking that the Government is ready to impose a blanket ban on smoking in public places.
It is certainly being lobbied to do so. Even Tory councils in London are in on the act. Enfield is reported to be seeking local powers from Parliament to introduce a trial ban in public places, including pubs, next year.
The truth about the Government’s resolve, however, may be a little different. The Government certainly wants to be seen as talking tough and knows that something has to be done, but that’s different to knowing what that action should be and having a coherent policy.
It’s happy to beat up those that are seen as apologists for smoking, such as the hospitality sector, in the hope that those sectors will come up with plans to curb smoking that the Government can then take some credit for.
The Labour Party’s problem is that it needs a policy for its election manifesto, but first has to navigate its own party conference. While the pro-ban lobby will be vociferous, there is still the fear among ministers of alienating its traditionalists in the Labour clubs, the home of the original "smoke-filled committee room".
So while the politicking is going on, where does this leave pubs, clubs, restaurants and hotels, among the main targets for any future legislation?
One senior industry figure involved in negotiations with the Government put it like this: "The industry is acting like a rabbit caught in the headlights of an oncoming lorry. The truth is that the lorry isn’t actually moving. So the rabbit has time to get out of the way."
That’s not an excuse for doing nothing, rather an argument for getting on developing policies that will best suit the industry, and in particular its employees and consumers. Those policies might also just be enough to satisfy the politicians, although don’t expect any praise.
The realisation for the industry is that smoking in public is increasingly unacceptable. It is all very well having surveys that show regulars in a particular pub don’t want a ban, it’s wider public opinion that matters.
Importantly, the debate seems to have reached an important "tipping point". It is no longer about providing more no-smoking areas in pubs and clubs. The presumption has shifted, or soon will shift, from smoking being the norm to no-smoking being the norm. The emphasis for the hospitality sector will be on providing "smoking areas" within a smoker-free environment rather than no-smoking areas.
There is almost certainly going to be some form of legislation coming, but as we know with licensing it takes a while to reach the statute book. There is a window of opportunity for the hospitality industry to take the initiative – and to take that particular metaphor one step further, a blast of fresh air is what is needed.
