Community clubs need help after smoking ban

Community clubs need help after smoking ban
I would like to reply to the article "Labour Club receives council cash" (WEP, May 22).
As a local election candidate for Standish ward in the recent local elections, I campaigned for help for the community clubs and pubs in the area.
I did not have taxpayers' money in mind, but intended to put a robust opposition forward opposing the ludicrous blanket smoking ban which is crippling our leisure industry nationwide.
The EU-wide ban is gold plated by UK civil servants but continental countries have acquired opt-outs which allows smokers to smoke in pubs allocated with ceiling ventilation.
Also pubs and clubs have to pay much higher utility bills and beer prices than their continental counterparts and with supermarkets heavily discounting drinks.
All this means of course is that these outlets will not have much cash for repairs and maintenance.
As for ex councillor George Davies allocating taxpayers' cash to help vandalised Standish Labour Club, well I would agree with this if it was not used for political purposes, because I do believe Standish Labour Club is a genuine community asset.
These clubs organise Christmas parties for pensioners and days out at the seaside for the kids.
Whether they are Tory or Labour clubs, politicians should make more noise concerning excessive charging for energy, uneven playing fields in the sale of alcohol and a campaign for proper smoking areas indoors with ventilation.
Alan Freeman, UKIP, Wigan
http://www.wigantoday.net

Another pub closes

Hey,July is not yet finished and news of another pub gone under-the difference with this case was the landlord started his own ban in February but the smokers voted with their feet,boycotted him straight the way and never came back-sorry but it made me smile-you'd have thought all the no smokers would have supported him wouldn't you? No I wouldn't because they don't go to pubs much do they. Obviously.

Early smoking ban pub forced to close
A pub which introduced a smoking ban six months ahead of the national ban has been forced to close due to a lack of custom.

The Bush, in Ince near Wigan thought it was getting ahead of the game by banning smokers at ther start of the year but licensee Deejay Royall has been forced to shut the doors just weeks after the country-wide ban came in.

Royall took over the pub 18 months ago and thousands were spent transforming the interior.

He told the Wigan Evening Post: "Basically, we ran out of customers.

“We introduced a smoking ban in February, we'd had it refurbished and it was looking nice.

"People started to go to other pubs that hadn't introduced the smoking ban yet and then when it came in July they stopped coming in altogether.

"A lot of pubs will be struggling because of the ban. I'm personally gutted.”

Despite being forced to close his business Royall is still a fan of the ban but believes it will force other pubs out of business.

He added: "I still think it's a good idea but one that people will have to get used to and in the short term it will spell disaster for many pubs.

"People are staying at home, buying cheap booze from the supermarkets and sitting with their friends smoking their heads off.

"But I think there will come a point when they won't want to sit in and will start going out again, especially as Christmas approaches."