A pub landlady has claimed a Government proposal to ban smoking outside areas would be ‘another blow’ to a sector which has suffered enough in recent years.
Megha Khanna, who has been running The Gladstone Arms alongside her brother Gaurav since 2017, told MailOnline it would be unwise to impose new restrictions on pubs at a time where many are struggling.
Covid, the cost-of-living crisis, rising rents and staff shortages, have all taken their toll on Britain’s boozers — with nearly 80 reportedly closing each month — and there are some who believe a smoking ban could be another nail in the coffin.
‘I just think that, given like all the all the issues that pubs have already gone through, this is just going to be another blow to the pub industry which we don’t need at this point in time,’ Megha said.
‘I appreciate it’s for health concerns but I would be cautious on how these measures can be enforced.’
Megha Khanna, landlady of the Gladstone Arms, raised concerns about a potential smoking ban
Megha said many of her punters choose to drink outside on the pavement (pictured) which she ‘would not want to discourage’
The Gladstone Arms (pictured) is located near Borough station
Megha said many of her customers smoke and choose to stand outside or use the roof terrace
The Gladstone Arms has a roof terrace, which has capacity for around 10 to 15 people maximum, where people can smoke, eat and drink.
Megha said it would not be difficult to impose a ban on the terrace, but added many of her punters also drink and smoke on the pavement outside the pub which she ‘would not want to discourage’, as it is where many people congregate to socialise.
‘I think a lot of people say that smoking goes hand in hand with drinking, that they only smoke when they drink,’ Megha said.
‘On a busy night we have 15 to 20 people outside. We’re a small pub and the max capacity is about 80 or 90 to which 20 or more smoke.
‘Smoking is a way of socialising as well. They’ll go outside, they’ll start chatting outside, even if they’ve finished their cigarette they’ll be chatting before they come back in for another drink.
‘While I appreciate the Government are trying to reduce the amount of people who smoke, I just feel like the people who want to smoke, will smoke anyway.
‘It may mean that it just impacts the amount of people that come into pubs in general if they are not allowed to smoke and have to stay at home.
Megha has been running The Gladstone Arms alongside her brother Gaurav (pictured) since 2017
Megha said it would not be difficult to impose a ban on the terrace, but added many of her punters also drink and smoke on the pavement outside the pub which she ‘would not want to discourage’ – Megha pictured with a round of Baby Guinnesses
Megha said the Gladstone was an intimate venue which holds around 80 to 90 people
Megha said she ‘did not want to encourage smoking’, but thought ‘banning smoking in beer gardens or designated smoking areas’ was ‘extreme’
‘There are people who come here as a destination pub. They have parties here and they rent the upstairs function room for birthdays. What if this means people will stop coming from miles away?’
While the details remain unclear, smoking could be banned in pub gardens, pavements, restaurant terraces and outside hospitals, under the new proposals.
Brits will still be allowed to smoke in their own homes and large open spaces, like streets and parks, but other locations are still said to be grey areas under discussion.
Megha added: ‘I don’t want to encourage smoking but I just think banning smoking in beer gardens or designated smoking areas or nightclubs etc is quite an extreme rule to put in place.
‘I think there’s other ways the Government could potentially discourage smoking.’
When asked about the Covid pandemic and its impact, Megha said it was ‘challenging’, especially as their rent increased by 40%.
When asked about the Covid pandemic and its impact, Megha said it was ‘challenging’, especially as their rent increased by 40%. She is pictured here (front) with customers at the pub
The Gladstone Arms is a family-run independent pub which has been run by the Khanna’s since 2017
‘During Covid we were selling beers through our back door, and we were asking people to bring their own containers which we would fill with beer. We were also doing takeaway of food and crowdfunding campaigns.
‘We had to do everything we could to survive. We knew that we couldn’t just sit at home and let things just happen.
‘Our landlord is a private landlord, and we are an independent family-run business. We’re not a chain, so we don’t have the advantage that chains have.’
‘And then, you know, the cost of living crisis happened, the gas and electricity prices increased, and that is still having an effect on our business, and obviously beer prices have had to increase, so its not been an easy journey.’
Alison Boutoille, who runs CityStack — a network of independent pubs — said: ‘The pubs are already struggling to drive footfall to their places due to inflation.
‘When they offer a beer garden, which is a strong asset both for smokers and non-smokers, banning it from smoking is an additional constraint they don’t need at the moment.’
Amid rising fears as to the effect cigarettes could have on the nation’s health, it is reported that the Prime Minister is set to press forward with the bill.
He is said to have the backing of Chief Medical officer Professor Chris Whitty, while ministers will argue that the economic benefits outweigh its potential costs.
Ministers are expected to claim smoking costs £21.8billion in health spending.