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ASH Daily News

29 October 2004

HEADLINES

Oxford councillor wants city to emulate Liverpool
Trade fears over local councils' smoke-ban
Tobacco brands plan to sell in-store ad space
Scotland: First Minister asks pubs to reduce number of smokers
Model position


FULL TEXT

Oxford councillor wants city to emulate Liverpool

Labour city councillor Susanna Pressel has urged fellow councillors in Oxford to follow Liverpool's example and ban smoking in enclosed public places.

Ms Pressel said: "I hope Oxford can follow Liverpool's lead and be the second city to bring in a smoking ban. Oxford, like Liverpool, is a centre of culture, and it would be fitting for Oxford to become a modern no-smoking city.

Earlier this month, a smoking ban was introduced at Oxford Town Hall after former mayor Maureen Christian put forward a proposal at a Labour group meeting.

An editorial in the Oxford Mail leaves readers in doubt exactly where the paper stands on the issue of smoking in public places - "Just ban it".

Source: Oxford Mail, 25 October 2004


Trade fears over local councils' smoke-ban

Trade publication the Morning Advertiser reports that the hospitality industry is concerned about moves by a number of local authorities to petition Parliament for the power to implement a smoking ban.

Hot on the heels of Liverpool City Council's decision, all 33 London boroughs under the guise of the London Government Association (ALG) are also minded to lobby Parliament for similar powers. As many as 50 councils are set to follow Liverpool's example.

Chairman of the industry Charter Group on smoking Nick Bish said the threat to the trade was "serious" but not new: "The industry prefers self-regulation, but if there is to be a policy implemented it needs to be a national policy", he said.

He added: "Disparities between local councils could mean one side of the high street allows smoking and another does not and how would you enforce that? It would be unwise to have local rules on a national issue".

Elsewhere in the publication the Morning Advertiser devotes considerable space debating the merits of ventilation systems.

The prospect of an outright smoking ban in pubs has led some question the wisdom of installing ventilation equipment. Nick Griffin, Managing Director of Pleisure pubco said: "There's no point pouring good money into eradicating a problem that might not exist come a few months."

The Morning Advertiser described Mr Griffin's remarks as "understandable" given the cost of installing a good quality ventilation system, which they estimate for the medium-sized premises somewhere between £2,000 and £5,000.

Nick Bish of the Charter Group warns that the commendable work undertaken by the trade will be undermined if licensees do not use ventilation alongside new strategies: "A 'no-smoking at the bar' sign doesn't mean very much without a ventilation system in place to keep smoke away from the bar," he said, adding "If some-one's smoking two or three feet away, that smoke will transfer and have the same effect on the bar staff."

Oliver Griffith, Director of Atmosphere Improve Results (AIR) believes that many licensees are neglecting the health requirements of their regulars, 48 percent of whom are smokers. He highlights the fact that an estimated 35 percent of the UK's 60,000 pubs are food-led and that licensees could be losing business if the stench of tobacco smoke makes the environment uncomfortable for diners.

Nowhere in the feature article does the Morning Advertiser discuss the inadequacies of ventilation equipment as such, in removing tobacco smoke from enclosed places.

Source: Morning Advertiser, 28 October 2004


Tobacco brands plan to sell in-store ad space

Tobacco companies are planning to use proposed government restrictions on point-of-purchase advertising to their advantage, by selling advertising space on their retail units.

Marketing Week reports that there are more than 66,000 tobacco display units in stores across the UK. They are owned by tobacco companies and loaned free of charge to retailers.

One industry insider said one tobacco company has asked for up to £50 per month per unit for the use of its retail space, which could be worth millions of pounds in collective deals. Imperial Tobacco owns 34,000 of the gantries, Gallaher 27,000, BAT 3,200 and Philip Morris 2,000.

Source: Marketing Week, 21 October 2004


Scotland: First Minister asks pubs to reduce number of smokers

Scotland's First Minister Jack McConnell issued a challenge to the licensed trade when he insisted that they should work in collaboration with the Executive to tackle the problem of smoking in public places.

Speaking at the annual dinner of the Scottish Licensed Trade Association (SLTA) in Glasgow, McConnell said that by working together government and industry could reduce the number of Scottish smokers.

"We should all be working towards a healthier, fitter, safer society", Mr McConnell said. "The long overdue reforms of our licensing laws and the decision that we make on smoking in public places will impact not just on our pubs, clubs and restaurants - they will help make Scotland a better place for all."

However, the First Minister was criticised by Stuart Ross, Chairman of the SLTA, who warned that the smoking ban issue was the most critical issue the licensed trade had so far faced: "Should any tobacco restrictions not present a fair and just trading environment for our members, I can assure members of the SLTA that this Association will fight any proposals tooth and nail", Mr Ross warned.

Source: The Scotsman, Glasgow Herald, 27 October 2004


Model position

Society "girl" and model Jade Parfitt has declined a substantial offer to advertise cigarettes abroad - despite the fact that she's not averse to the odd crafty smoke herself. Ms Parfitt is currently fundraising to help victims of Aids.

"I couldn't do it", she is said. "It wouldn't do to help people with Aids and then suggest they get cancer instead. It was a tough one because they were offering loads of money".

Source: Daily Express, 29 October 2004

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Harold Wilson
ASH
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