Scarborough Landlords counting cost of smoke ban
Scarborough Landlords counting cost of smoke ban
By Susan Stephenson
SCARBOROUGH pub landlords are counting the cost of the smoking ban one year on.
The ruling, which came into force on July 1 last year, banned smoking in all public places and seems to have hit pubs the hardest.
Rising costs, increased Government taxes on beer, wine and spirits and the lack of public spending power due to the ADVERTISEMENT"credit crunch" have also made the past year incredibly tough for landlords.
Scarborough Licensed Victuallers' Association vice-president Matt Coulson, who runs the New Tavern and Tap and Spile in Falsgrave Road, says the ban is "destroying the trade".
He said: "The smoking ban has definitely reduced the amount of customers. Trading figures are down and costs are up – plus customers don't have the money to spend. Landlords have faced the expense of creating outdoor smoking areas along with all the other rising costs. Pubs are closing all the time and to my mind that will continue.
"It feels like we're under continuous attack from the powers that be."
Terry Kaye, landlord of The Commercial, also in Falsgrave, and former landlord of the Northway, in Prospect Road, said: "The smoking ban has not done me any favours at all."
However, health bosses have described the ban as "a great success", with a 33 per cent increase in people quitting cigarettes since this time last year.
The NHS in Yorkshire and the Humber says it is ahead of schedule in reaching its target of 38,000 quitters by the end of the year.
Paul Johnstone, NHS Yorkshire and Humber's director of public health, said: "On average a smoker's life is 14 years' shorter than a non-smoker. This means the smoke-free legislation may have helped to save 80,000 years of life in our region."
But people in Scarborough are still buying as many cigarettes as ever, says newsagent Graham Whitewick, who runs a shop in Huntriss Row.
He said: "Sales of packets of cigarettes are the same as they were this time last year. We've found loose tobacco sales have been down for a number of years, since people started bringing cheaper cigarettes back from holidays abroad."
http://www.scarborougheveningnews.co.uk
By Susan Stephenson
SCARBOROUGH pub landlords are counting the cost of the smoking ban one year on.
The ruling, which came into force on July 1 last year, banned smoking in all public places and seems to have hit pubs the hardest.
Rising costs, increased Government taxes on beer, wine and spirits and the lack of public spending power due to the ADVERTISEMENT"credit crunch" have also made the past year incredibly tough for landlords.
Scarborough Licensed Victuallers' Association vice-president Matt Coulson, who runs the New Tavern and Tap and Spile in Falsgrave Road, says the ban is "destroying the trade".
He said: "The smoking ban has definitely reduced the amount of customers. Trading figures are down and costs are up – plus customers don't have the money to spend. Landlords have faced the expense of creating outdoor smoking areas along with all the other rising costs. Pubs are closing all the time and to my mind that will continue.
"It feels like we're under continuous attack from the powers that be."
Terry Kaye, landlord of The Commercial, also in Falsgrave, and former landlord of the Northway, in Prospect Road, said: "The smoking ban has not done me any favours at all."
However, health bosses have described the ban as "a great success", with a 33 per cent increase in people quitting cigarettes since this time last year.
The NHS in Yorkshire and the Humber says it is ahead of schedule in reaching its target of 38,000 quitters by the end of the year.
Paul Johnstone, NHS Yorkshire and Humber's director of public health, said: "On average a smoker's life is 14 years' shorter than a non-smoker. This means the smoke-free legislation may have helped to save 80,000 years of life in our region."
But people in Scarborough are still buying as many cigarettes as ever, says newsagent Graham Whitewick, who runs a shop in Huntriss Row.
He said: "Sales of packets of cigarettes are the same as they were this time last year. We've found loose tobacco sales have been down for a number of years, since people started bringing cheaper cigarettes back from holidays abroad."
http://www.scarborougheveningnews.co.uk
posted by coalville auto care at
9:57 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home