CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, expresses concern that the smoking ban will be divisive for community pubs. Community pubs will face the stark choice of tearing up their food menus or alienating regulars by banning smoking.
CAMRA calls on the Government to allow pubs where there are two or more entirely separate rooms to allow smoking in one, while other rooms where food is served are made smoke free.
Mike Benner, Chief Executive of CAMRA, raised concerns about the proposals:
"While it's clear that smoke in pubs needs to be managed, these proposals threaten to split the pub trade, creating polished smoke-free eateries for the middle classes and smoking dens for everyone else. The problem is that committed smokers may well switch their custom to small community pubs which don't serve prepared hot food and the resulting fug may alienate other parts of the local community - no one enjoys sitting in a smoke-filled room. It's quite possible that small community pubs, which rely on beer sales rather than food sales, will tear up their menus to make sure their smoking regulars are not driven away."
"It is the small community local which is likely to bear the brunt of these proposals should they become law. We would like the Government to carry out a full impact assessment on community pubs and ensure that support is in place to prevent closures of this essential community amenity because of the smoke issue. In many pubs there is a simple solution, where there are two or more entirely separate rooms, smoking could be allowed in one, while other rooms, where food is served could be made smoke-free."
"The pubs industry is taking giant strides to respond to consumer demand for clean air in pubs, but it has not been given enough time to fully implement its own solutions."