Fears over Welsh pub closures
23 May, 2008
Trade chief claims 100 pubs will close in next six months
A Welsh pub trade chief has claimed around 100 pubs in the valleys could shut in the next six months – mainly due to the smoking ban.
John Price, secretary of the Licensed Victuallers Association in Wales, told thepublican.com: “I’ll give us six months and you won’t see many pubs left in the valleys at all.”
He said many older people were not prepared to go outside for a cigarette, since the ban was introduced in April 2007.
“It’s the weather. Old people will not go outside if it’s raining,” he added.
“And the areas that don’t have passing trade are the ones that are really in trouble”.
Price said that seven pubs in Swansea had closed recently and nightclubs were suffering as well.
Rising overheads and utilities were also a reason for the negative on the trade, Price said.
He pointed the finger at the government, saying: “Somebody has to think about what they are doing to help pubs out. They have never said how they are going to help us.”
Price, licensee of the Bush Inn, in Clydach Vale, also expressed fears that councils would be stepping up their monitoring of pubs with regard the legislation.
“It’s going to go haywire from now on,” he said. “But if you are serving behind the bar you can’t be in the toilet watching everybody’s movements.”
Readers' comments
This amount of pubs closing in the valleys would be disastrous, I lived in Caerphilly some 12 years ago for three years and had some good nights out but now live in the infamous town of Dewsbury. Customers in a pub a few miles from me are defying the ban even after five visits by the council with four police on three of these occasions and plenty of suspected covert operations the council seem unwilling to charge the customers, (if they can not make a charge against the proprietor),the customers bring their own ashtrays, or buy a tin of nuts from the vending machine to use as an ashtray, the landlord has signs up and informs the people smoking, it is illegal to smoke in these premises, but says he is not an enforcement officer, he believes he is abiding by the law as it is written in the Health act 2006, the council lawyers may have advised the council enforcement officers they have no case against him as 18 weeks have passed since their first visit. Four pubs in Birstall and Batley where charged in one night about 12 weeks ago by two enforcement officers with four police as back up, all I believe had ashtrays out so will have little or no defence, even though one said he was upstairs at the time.
"Change your hearts or you will lose your inns and you will deserve to have lost them. But when you have lost your inns, drown your empty selves, for you will have lost the last of England" Hiliare Belloc Enough said.
It's a shame to hear that local pubs are again closing due to this unreasonable ban. I live in the West Yorkshire region and the same seems to be happening here. I myself now don't support my local as I once did. I go to city pubs even less. I either invite friends to my house and buy drinks in from the local supermarket or when I do fancy a nite out I make a weekend of it and fly to Berlin. The German 'ban' is far more reasonable with bars given the choice of creating a non smoking bar or one with a separate smoke room. Couldn't we have done that here???
Thank you for your article Mr Wilmore, I have yet to see many giving a voice for the elderly. I have just come back from Spain, out drinking my "UNITS" every night, so I would be classed as an alcoholic I suppose to the puritains. Smoking allowed in every pub we went in, not an intolerant anti insight. Had a great time and will be going back shortly. I have only been out twice since the ban here. If I lived near the publicans who are trying to fight this vindictive ban, I would be supporting them. Just for the record, my vote did not go to any of the 3 parties and it nothing to do with the 10p tax. Many of the elderly have not got to grips with computors either, so another voice they do not have. Because of lies and misinformation many now have given up their social lives. Yes supermarket booze is cheaper, but that has always been the case. Alcohol will soon be a dirty word too, then what? for those who stood idly by and allowed the antis to get away with the misinformation and scare-mongering you deserve what is coming next.