Hospitality Reacts to Potential Smoking Area Ban

The Government has announced a fresh proposal to ban smoking in pub gardens, as well as outside football stadiums, restaurants and hospitals.

The Independent spoke to Jack Brabant, co-founder of Hockley Social Club, who said “a lot of money” had been spent on “making our terraces hospitable and a place where people can relax”.

Hockley Social Club has invested thousands of pounds revamping their outdoor area that included a new designated smoking space in attempts to ensure there was a “space accessible to anyone” as well as a “space that smokers can go to”.

In reference to the new proposal, Mr Brabant stated “From a hospitality point of view it’s another kick in the teeth.”

It’s no secret that the hospitality sector has faced a number of serious challenges stemming from the impact of Covid-19 and subsequent lockdowns, making the last few years a tough ride for all in the industry. To some this new legislation seeks to impose further challenges – smoking areas are usually popular features for consumers at hospitality premises so this move could see further damages to attracting customers into a business, plus the potential costs and logistical implications businesses would have to contend with to comply with this ruling.

The Government feels there is already such a sizeable burden on the NHS and is seeking solutions to reduce this, targeting smoking as a way of tackling this burden.

Tobacco usage causes 80,000 deaths every year, killing two-thirds of all long-term users and is deemed the UK’s single biggest preventable cause of death, hence the desire to consider bringing in potential bans.

Michael Kill, CEO of trade collective Night Time Industries Association (NTIA), said pubs and venues will “without a doubt” be forced to close if these new measures are put in place.

“We are gonna start to see people come away from going to the pub and going to nightclubs because they can’t smoke and can’t vape.”

“While the premise is positive, we aren’t thinking about the impact on wider society. There needs to be a much stronger conversation with people that are impacted so we can make sure we are accommodating them,” he said.