So far, so good as pub trade looks up

Aug 1 2007 by Mike Chapple, Liverpool Daily Post

One month on from the introduction of the smoking ban, Mike Chapple looks at its impact on Merseyside’s pubs

EXACTLY one month on and, like a pint, Merseyside licensees are waiting for things to settle before passing judgement of how the smoking ban has affected them.

One such licensee, Richie Owen, says that despite there being no current outside smoking area at his own pub, the Exchange in Liverpool’s Old Hall Street, rather than having an adverse effect, the ban seems to have enhanced business.

“Trade hasn’t diminished at all – in fact, compared to the corresponding monthly period from last year, general trade is actually up 15.9%,” said Mr Owen, who is awaiting council permission for a pavement smoking area with retractable canopy, plus table and chairs.

“We’ve also had more people coming in for food at dinnertime, especially women ordering soft drinks, although we’re also 16% up on wet beer sales.

“I must admit I’m a little bit surprised about that and the fact that there are very few of our smoking customers who are choosing to smoke outside – although that may have something to do with the weather.”

Mr Owen added, however, that it was still too early to gauge the long term effects – apart from one.

“You do get more of a whiff of unpleasant smells of bodily odours which the smoke used to mask especially, shall we say, from the more explosive ones. We’re finding that these are becoming far more effective at clearing the place when calling last orders.”

At the popular Roscoe Head on Roscoe Street, landlady Carol Ross said that it was five weeks and four days since her last cigarette.

“I gave up purely because of the ban because I’m not allowed to smoke anywhere in the pub, including the upper rooms where I live and where the kitchen is too,” said Carol, who added that the holiday period was not an ideal time to take stock of business.

“There’s been no trouble – people have just accepted it. The older regulars who smoke are still coming in, although some not as often as they used to.”

Carol first expressed her fears about the ban three years ago when Liverpool was aiming to become the first city to introduce the ban on the British mainland.

She thought that because the pub had no outside area that could be developed for smokers her business would suffer more than most.

“Now I feel I’ll reserve judgement for another six months – I actually think at the moment that no smoking is bringing more people back into the pub.”

MEANWHILE, she has the head umbrella that smokers can use in inclement weather to protect themselves and their smokes which she borrowed from her sister, fellow landlady Sandra, who also gave up smoking prior to the ban.

Sandra runs the Stanley Arms in Aughton with her husband Steve, who said: “We let smokers use the head umbrella and then give a pound to charity when they came back in.

“It worked really well and everyone had a good laugh.”

He said that as a food rather than drinkers’ pub they had hardly suffered from the ban, although they had subsequently built a shelter costing just £40 for smokers to use outside. “We thought it was cheap at the price, especially since the pub down the road is spending about £12,000 on one,” he laughed, before adding the only problem he envisaged would be caused by customers leaving their pints inside, going outside for a smoke and then finding on their return that their place had been taken.

John O’Dowd of the Lion Tavern in Tithebarn Street, like the Roscoe, is another city centre pub which has nowhere to develop outside as a smoking area.

It is also a listed building which prohibits him from fixing the required ashtray bins on the exterior.

Highway restrictions prevent him from putting bins on the pavement so he has been left with something of a Catch-22 situation because he could be prosecuted under anti-litter legislation if butts are not cleared up. The city council promised him an answer within the month.

He said: “I think the council are being low-key about prosecuting people until they’ve got a few of the ruffles like this sorted. But I still think they should have sorted dilemmas like this well beforehand.”

mikechapple@dailypost.co.uk

Dramatic rise in smokers wanting to quit after ban

THE number of referrals to Liverpool’s main smoking cessation group has increased dramatically since the start of the ban in enclosed public spaces.

In the first month since the smoke-free legislation came into force, the Roy Castle Fagends group has seen 1,373 referrals, compared with only 409 during the same period last year.

Christine Owens, head of tobacco control for the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Founda-tion, said she was delighted with the increase in referrals to the smoking cessation group.

“It shows people are defin-itely making the decision to quit smoking because of the legislation. We hope it will make it easier to give up.

“Smoke-free legislation is a step towards defeating lung cancer, however there’s much more still to be done.”

So far enforcement officers have caught two people smoking in enclosed spaces in the last month – but the city is following a softly, softly approach initially and the offenders were given warnings rather than a £50 fixed penalty.

Three complaints about smoking within premises have been made to the council but officers found no evidence on visits. They have also handed out between 200 and 300 Do Not Smoke signs, which are now required by law, to businesses which had not displayed them.

Andy Hull is Liverpool’s public protection manager who is managing the enforce-ment operation, and formerly chaired the SmokeFree Liverpool campaign.

“Everyone recognises what an incredible achievement it is that Liverpool’s first month of being smoke-free has been so successful, with no problems reported any-where in the city,” he said.

“But we know we still have issues to overcome, litter being one which many people have expressed concerns about. That is why it is a top priority for us, and why we have decided to take the initiative and come up with a programme of support and advice around litter.

“We think the individual ashtrays are a great idea. They can go in a pocket or handbag, and the smoker can take their butts home and dispose of them without adding to street litter.”

Campaign group Smoke-Free Liverpool said accept-ance of the new legislation had been “universal,” but cigarette-related litter was becoming a problem.

As a result, a new cigarette litter initiative will start today, led by a roadshow which will visit businesses and licensed premises.

Dr Paula Grey, joint director of public health for Liverpool Primary Care Trust (PCT) and Liverpool City Council, said: “The celebrations which took place on July 1 showed huge public support for the campaign. However, it’s too early to measure significant changes in health.”

Ban will spell death knell for some of the city’s finest pubs, claims campaigning artist

ONE man with no sympathy with the smoking ban is local artist Bernie Carroll from Princes Park.

He thinks the ban will ultimately call last orders on some of Liverpool’s best traditional pubs and has produced a poster which attacks the Government for betraying working class culture and freedom of choice. He is going round local pubs asking them to pin the posters up but confesses that he has found few takers.

“They find it a bit offensive,” said Mr Carroll, who travels the country drawing pictures of pub exteriors for his popular pub poster business. “What started off as a rant against the smoking ban became one against political correctness which is the fiend behind it all.”

He added: “A lot of traditional family pubs are going to go to the wall because of this and the lack of consultation with the people most affected by this, which New Labour promised and never followed through.”

Rush for help in giving up

AN ALTERNATIVE smoking cessation firm has reported a boom in people trying to kick the habit.

RenewU, on Rodney Street, has experienced its busiest month ever, with a 40% increase in people coming through the door compared to last July.

Owner of RenewU, Doron Schnitter, said: “Not only are there more people trying to give up the habit, but people’s reasons for giving up have changed.

“Since the ban many of the clients I have treated are trying to give up to avoid being anti-social.”