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The founder of the Birmingham venue which spent thousands renovating an outdoor space has described the government’s plans to ban smoking in Kebon pubs as a “kick in the teeth”.
Jack Brabant, who co-founded the Hockley Social Club in the center of Birmingham, said “a lot of money” has been spent on “making our terraces friendly and places where people can relax”.
This includes spending thousands to refurbish outdoor areas – which also house food stalls – including a new smoking area, to ensure there are “accessible spaces for everyone” as well as “spaces that smokers can go to”.
But they have lamented new proposals from the government to ban smoking in pub gardens and outside areas.
“From a hospitality point of view, it’s another kick,” Mr Brabant said.
With hospitality facing years after the Covid pandemic and the cost of living crisis, Mr Brabant said that “business is closed in hospitality” and “it is difficult to get people to come through the door, especially with the increase in utility costs”.
The smoking ban will only be “one more problem to deal with”, even affecting the ability to work, Brabant added.
He also expressed concern about the direction of the new government: “The previous government clearly did not give a toss, and we hope that there will be support for hospitality (from the new government), but if this is a sign then we are concerned,” said Mr. Brabant.
Keir Starmer publicly backed the government’s leaked proposals this morning, saying the government “will take a decision at this point” because the NHS is “on its knees”.
“More details will be revealed but this is a series of preventable deaths and we need to act to reduce the burden on the NHS and the taxpayer,” he told reporters.
Adam Curtis, landlord of The Cock Inn in Bishop’s Stortford, said it would be the “last straw in the coffin”, describing the potential move as a “logistical, terrifying nightmare”.
Hospitality has been resilient during the Covid years, which have forced pubs to close, but this would be a step too far, he said.
The Cock Inn spent money during Covid to refurbish the garden, but Mr Curtis said it “may not have spent as much” if it had known about the upcoming proposals.
He said there would be a “real” impact on the pub business. “People like cigarettes and pints, there’s a social aspect to it,” Mr Curtis said.
“There are enough rules without introducing them again, and we need to be able to make a living.”
Mr Curtis asked why different measures could not be taken first, such as trialling a “smoking upstairs, no smoking” policy for pub gardens.
He said it would be bad for the local area, saying it would be better to smoke in pub gardens – where staff could clean up afterwards – when the streets would now be “dirty with cigarettes”.
Tobacco use is the biggest preventable cause of death in the UK, causing 80,000 deaths each year and killing two-thirds of long-term users.
It is believed that the ban imposed by the government will only apply to the UK, although a devolved government could choose to impose similar rules.
Michael Kill, CEO of the trade union Night Time Industries Association (NTIA), said pubs and places will “without a doubt” be forced to close if the new measures are implemented.
“Millions are spent on outdoor spaces to accommodate the pandemic and expand business propositions, with heated all-weather outdoor spaces. There is a dependency on revenue with this outdoor space.
“We’re going to start seeing people going to pubs and going to nightclubs because they can’t smoke and they can’t smoke,” he said.
He said the hospitality industry had been “left behind” about the restrictions and their impact, calling for “stronger communication with the government on this issue”.
No hospitality trade association was consulted on the matter before the proposal was leaked, as far as Mr Kill is concerned.
“While the premise is positive, we don’t think about the impact on the wider community. There needs to be a stronger conversation with the people affected to make sure we accommodate,” he said.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: “Smoking kills 80,000 people every year, puts enormous pressure on the NHS, and costs taxpayers billions.
“We are determined to protect children and non-smokers from the harm of smoking. We are considering a number of measures to finally make Britain smoke-free.
