My thoughts on Pembrokeshire County Council's response to VIP's open letter
Tuesday, March 22, 2016 at 7:34 The ban on smoking and vaping on Little Haven beach in Pembrokeshire provoked an exasperated letter from Vapers In Power to the council.
Surprisingly, perhaps, the council replied. (Scroll down to the comments on the link above.)
VIP asked me for my reaction to their response but it ended up being longer than intended. I didn't want to impose the whole thing on readers of the VIP blog so I've posted it here instead:
First, credit to Pembrokeshire County Council for responding to VIP’s open letter. Many local authorities would have ignored it. However …
"Surveys have shown that the majority of people welcome such an approach of a smoke-free beach."
I assume the council is refering to a 2015 poll by YouGov (ASH's preferred pollster) but they don't say. If you make that sort of claim you should at least quote your source/s because other surveys have reached a very different conclusion.
In December 2015, for example, Brighton and Hove City Council dropped proposals to ban smoking on the city’s beaches “after a huge public response” to a well-publicised public consultation. According to one local paper (the Brighton & Hove News), “Just one in five supported a smoking ban in parks, historic gardens and beaches, with a strong majority strongly disagreeing. Even amongst non-smokers, there was no majority support for a ban.”
Last week a poll by Populus for Forest in Scotland found a majority in favour of allowing smoking on beaches. The result was very similar to a UK-wide survey conducted by Populus in June last year. But even if the results had gone the other way, should the tyranny of the majority influence public policy when there is no evidence of harm to others?
"It is hoped that such initiatives ... will become the norm."
So that's the goal, is it? Not content with banning smoking on one small beach in Pembrokeshire, the council wants this initiative to extend to most – perhaps all – beaches regardless of the fact that for long periods of the day, week, month or year most beaches are largely deserted with not a child in sight.
Even Pembrokeshire Council admits that smoking in the open air poses no risk to other people's health. Most parents are also sensible enough to know that the infrequent sight of strangers smoking on a beach (or anywhere else) is unlikely to encourage their children to smoke as well. Even if a child were to notice, he or she would probably be too busy doing something else to give it a second thought.
"This entire thrust is about the holistic safeguarding of children."
What mumbo-jumbo is this? There are things children need to be protected from. A whiff of tobacco smoke or the sight of someone smoking a cigarette are not among them. I grew up in Scotland where, in the Seventies, the same thing was said about alcohol. It was, and is, the sort of language you expect to hear from puritannical temperance societies not local authorities.
In the UK youth smoking rates are currently at their lowest recorded level ever so it’s hardly a major problem. In this area at least the council has no business acting as de facto parents to other people’s children. If I don’t want my children seeing another adult smoke tobacco, drink alcohol or eat ‘junk’ food for fear they might be influenced to do the same, that’s my decision not the council’s. It's certainly not the council's job to make that decision for me.
Another Populus survey of over 2,000 UK residents carried out earlier this month found that only 14 per cent of the public believe that tackling smoking is a very important priority for local government. Asked to rate priorities for local government, respondents rated tackling crime and anti-social behaviour as the highest priority.
Other issues that were rated more important than tackling smoking included investing in road and pavements, improving job prospects, investing in street cleanliness, and improving facilities for young people. In a list of ten priorities for local government, ‘tackling smoking’ came second last.
But what really exposes the mind-boggling crassness of this 'public health' measure is the fact that Pembrokeshire Council has also banned the use on the beach of e-cigarettes, a product used almost exclusively by smokers or ex-smokers, often in a bid to quit smoking or avoid relapsing.
Citing a tendentious Californian report when Public Health England has quite recently published its own much more positive verdict on e-cigarettes is a classic case of cherry-picking evidence to suit a particular agenda.
It emphasises too what Forest told the media earlier this month. This is not about health, it's about control.
It’s also worth emphasising that Pembrokeshire Council has no powers to enforce this voluntary 'ban'. So my advice to smokers and vapers is – use your common sense, smoke/vape with consideration for those around you but otherwise ignore this self-righteous instruction that says far more about the people behind it than the perfectly legitimate behaviour that inspired it.
Nevertheless, spare a thought for our friends at Pembrokeshire County Council. Not only did the Public Health (Wales) Bill fall at the final hurdle last week (albeit in rather farcical circumstances), denying the council the power needed to enforce the ban, but there's no immediate prospect of the UK government introducing such powers either.
My source? Hansard.
Responding yesterday to a written question from Plaid Cymru MP Jonathan Edwards who asked the Secretary of State for Health “what representations he [sic] has received from local authorities in England on prohibiting smoking on beaches”, Health Secretary Jane Ellison replied:
“The Department has received no representations from local authorities on prohibiting smoking on beaches. The Government has no current plans to extend smokefree legislation to open public areas.”
Some of you will jump on the phrase “no current plans” and you'd be right to be sceptical. For the moment however Pembrokeshire County Council appears to be armed with nothing more than a wagging finger and a disapproving look to enforce its paternalistic intentions.
May they enjoy their 15 minutes of fame. The rest of us will get on with our lives, prioritising issues that really matter. If only local councillors would do the same.
Reader Comments (6)
“The Department has received no representations from local authorities on prohibiting smoking on beaches.
Meaning: Will you please send some representations!
The Government has no current plans to extend smokefree legislation to open public areas.”
Just like they had no plans to tax sugar?
If they don't want our money, they won't get it. Europe loves smokers and so smokers like me spend all our saved up hard earned cash there. I wouldn't spend a penny in a place like Pembrokeshire which is really trying to groom today's children to hate and fear that which won't harm them but they don't understand.
I will not fund a bigoted town by a single penny. I will not fund those who encourage intolerance.
IF I ever go to Pembrokeshire, I will ignore the ban which is not law. All smokers must ignore all bans outdoors. It is our duty to secure freedom for our children not to have to be bullied whether they smoke when they grow up or not. Today smoking and vaping. What next? A "sugary" drinks ban for the sake of other people's children? Probably.
All outdoor smoking bans should be ignored. They cannot be enforced. Smokers should where possible buy all their tobacco abroad. Enough is enough now. It's time for smokers to fight back.
It's time to amend smoking bans. Let's start by demanding that outdoor bans be repealed. Then it's time to lobby for separate smoking rooms.
I think it is important to point out my bemusement at this whole fiasco. Little Haven is less than 10 miles from my birthplace. It is a tiny little beach tucked away on the Pembrokeshire coast. Last time I was there it had 2 pubs, a small café and a souvenir shop. There is one street of houses with a dead end. That is it. There are a few boats, I have never seen more than half a dozen individuals or families on the beach. It can only be accessed by a narrow coastal road, and it's main attraction is sightseers and ramblers. This is why I find it so funny.
Strange thing really. My 12 year old daughter asked today why the charities on TV always showed the effect on children.
She's started High School this time and is learning about history.
She's mature for her age and definitely makes her own mind up, which I encourage.