Ban Damage: UK Wales Ban Damage

A rarebit of Welsh for you
May 18, 2013
Terrible news from Wales – for the health freaks and those that want to guard our bodies as if their own! In six years of smoking ban terror, stigmatisation, denormalisation, hatred, open discrimination and killing of businesses left, right & centre it transpires that smoking prevalence has decreased by one whole percent. WOW!
1% ASH (Wales) are distraught! I mean to say, they are just as responsible for wasting ?32bn on this idiotic exercise as we are, seeing as how births/deaths always include England & Wales!
It seems that there are 3,064,000 people in Wales, which means that in 2007, 24% (735,960) were smoking and in six years of waging a war on the humble smoker they have managed to reduce that number by a massive (sic)
7,359 smokers – no wonder BLF (Wales) came up with this gem!:?
“We really have to call in to question the effectiveness of the tobacco control initiative, and the commitment to meeting these targets.”
Read More

---

Last orders for struggling Welsh pubs
August? 26th, 2010
By Gemma Ryall BBC Wales News
A few years ago, Rhondda landlord Colin Davies was one of about 30 members of his local pub association.
Now he says they are lucky to have seven.
That number is likely to continue to dwindle after two more pubs in his Valleys community of Tonypandy closed.
They were being sold at auction on Wednesday, along with 11 other pubs from around south-east Wales, including the historic Cow and Snuffers pub and The Neville in Cardiff.
It reveals the “sorry state” of the pub industry for Mr Davies, who has run his pub, The Clydach Vale Hotel, for more than 20 years.
“It’s terrible and these are sad times for everyone,” he said.
“In my opinion, it all comes from the smoking ban [introduced in Wales in 2007]. We really noticed a huge difference. Our customers just stopped coming.
“People in the valleys don’t want a gastro pub – they want somewhere they can come and have a drink, a smoke and chat.
“I’m lucky – I’ve just finished paying off my pub’s mortgage. If I hadn’t, I think we’d be closed now. Two more pubs have closed here and I know of others that are struggling.
“Once these pubs are gone, they usually just become derelict and it affects everyone. People who have been meeting for years have to stay at home and for many, particularly older people, it becomes very lonely.”
Pubs demolished
It is not just a problem in the Valleys. According to the British Beer and Pub Association, 156 pubs closed across Wales in 2009 alone.
Licensed property specialists Sidney Phillips currently has around 120 freehold pubs for sale in Wales, ranging from rural watering holes to city establishments.
Its latest auction included the De Winton and Ivor Hael pubs in Tonypandy, the New Broden in Porthcawl, the Blaenogwr in Nantymoel, Bridgend county, Raffles in Pontypridd and the Cow and Snuffers in Cardiff, which dates back to 1812.
Only five were bought in the auction but a Sidney Phillips spokeswoman said the others would now be sold privately and a few already had offers.
Iain Loe, research and information manager at the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra), said the worry was that many of the pubs being sold would not be re-opened again.
“We’re very sad when these pubs are sold as they’re often not bought by someone who wants to carry on running them as pubs,” he said.
“In rural areas some pubs are turned into holiday homes and, in more urban areas, they could be turned into flats or other community facilities where they don’t need to change the planning consent.
“Of course, lots of pubs have big car parks and, as long as the pub isn’t a listed building, a developer could buy it, knock it down and build lots of houses on the plot instead. There’s no protection against that.”
He said a “combination of several factors” had led to the decline of the pub industry across the UK, including the fact that more people are not going out during the current economic downturn and, instead, buying cheap alcohol in supermarkets.
He said the smoking ban had led to the more traditional punters staying at home, while high business rates, rents and overheads and the increase in excise duty were crippling many landlords.
“Some pubs are diversifying to survive,” said Mr Loe.
“Lots do food and other ideas include integrating the local shop or post office in the pub in rural areas. The post office has also started a service where people’s parcels can be dropped off at their local pub if they’re not at home.
“Some pubs cook meals for local schools and there’s also the idea of offering discount lunchtime meals for OAPs and taking on services like meals-on-wheels.”
One such pub which is trying to diversify to ensure it is successful is the Creigiau Inn in Creigiau near Cardiff.
Landlady Abi Osborne and her husband took over the pub three years ago.
“We decided to take it on as it’s my village pub and I was convinced we could turn it around and make it work,” she said.
Coffee machine
“We cleaned it up and started doing good pub food. We have extended the hours, we serve food and do offers, such as buying two meals and a bottle of wine for ?20.
“We also have a quiz night and invested in a coffee machine so we now have regular groups that meet each week for coffee, including mums who often pop in before the school run. I think the smoking ban helps with things like that.
“We’re getting there and you’ve got to be committed and in it for the long haul, with the right customers and staff. But it really is essential to diversify these days.”
Elsewhere, The Raven Inn in Llanarmon yn I?l, Mold, Flintshire, is also branching out, with a post office opening in the pub.
The community has run the inn since August 2009 and it is manned by volunteers, with any profit made being used to fund village community projects.
“The pub is a vital place for the whole community,” added Mr Loe.
“The way pubs are closing at such a rapid rate, we’re in danger of having communities without any local facilities, just a collection of houses. That would be awful for everyone.”

---

Smoking ban has hit trade, says LVA
Oct 12 2007
By Darren Devine, Western Mail

SIX months after the introduction of the smoking ban in Wales pubs have lost up to 20% of their trade, according to the Licensed Victuallers Association (LVA).

The group, which represents pub operators across Wales, says some businesses are on the brink of closure, while others have already gone to the wall following the ban’s introduction.

And the LVA say there is little optimism that trade will eventually return to its pre-ban levels as pubs are now regarded as hostile territory by smokers.

But Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) in Wales said there is more to consider than the pub trade’s prosperity as the main reason for introducing the ban was to protect the public’s well-being.

John Price, secretary of the LVA in Wales, says his pub, the Bush Hotel, in Clydach Vale in the Rhondda, said, “I have lost 17% of my takings. I was in a meeting of the LVA for Wales and some of the pubs have dropped by 22%. There are four on the brink. There are a lot of elderly people who won’t come out now because they don’t want to stand in the rain.”

Mr Price said those pubs that are struggling need to invest in shelters, but because of the weakness of their trade cannot find the cash to spend the several thousand pounds needed.

At a meeting for the LVA in Pendarren this week, he said 12 regional secretaries from around Wales reported their takings had fallen by around 20% since the ban was introduced on April 2.

Tanya Buchanan, director of ASH in Wales, said the Scottish experience suggests the long-term impact on the pub trade is minimal.

She said, “There was already a decline in licensed premises ahead of the ban. The impact of drink-driving legislation has contributed to people not drinking.”

Ms Buchanan said there is evidence to suggest the ban has had a positive effect on people’s health in Scotland.? She said, “It’s about protecting people’s health and we know from Scotland that there’s been a reduction in the number of people being admitted to hospitals with heart attacks. We know it’s having a positive effect on people’s health.”

Neil Rafferty, the spokesman for pro-smoking group Forest, said as a result of the Irish smoking ban around 7,500 people lost their jobs.

---

Deaf man attacked for smoking at bus station

Jul 21 2007
by Anna Hammond, South Wales Echo

A DEAF man was beaten up at Cardiff central bus station for smoking a cigarette.

Police have praised a member of the public who realists he was on the same bus as the man suspected of attacking the 56-year-old and called 999 from his mobile phone.

The incident happened at stand B1 of the bus station at around 4.15pm on Tuesday when the victim, who is profoundly deaf, was smoking a cigarette.

Someone stood behind him in the shelter asked him to stop smoking but because the man, who is from Canton, Cardiff, has hearing difficulties he did not respond.

He was then attacked, knocked to the floor, kicked and punched.

He was taken to the University Hospital of Wales for treatment while his attacker fled from the scene on the 12b bus towards Riverside, Cardiff. A passenger believing he was on the same bus as the attacker got off at a bus stop on Ninian Park Road and contacted police.

The bus was stopped minutes later and a 35-year-old from Ely was arrested on suspicion of assault.

Police are appealing for witnesses to what they have described as an “unprovoked attack” and are keen to trace an American or Canadian woman who was at the bus stand.

Smoking has been banned in bus shelters since the all-Wales ban which came into force in April.

Anyone with information should contact police on 029 2022 2111 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
anna.hammond@wme.co.uk

?