Action alert – hospital wants to extend smoking ban to nearby streets
Thursday, August 4, 2016 at 6:55 
Last year we successfully campaigned against proposals to extend the smoking ban to Brighton's beaches, parks and squares.
See Bid to ban smoking on beaches and parks in Brighton and Hove to be dropped and Brighton – common sense prevails.
Now we need your help to fight plans to extend a hospital smoking ban to neighbouring roads outside Birmingham Children's Hospital.
Wearing my Forest hat, here's my reaction:
"I can understand why they don't want people smoking close to the main entrance but restricting smoking in neighbouring streets is ridiculous.
"The trust is looking for a problem that doesn't exist. There's no evidence that smoking outside is harmful to anyone other than the smoker.
"When you walk past someone smoking in the street your exposure to tobacco smoke is minimal. You may not like the fleeting smell but that's no reason to ban it.
"Erecting signs and employing people to patrol the area to stop people smoking is an appalling waste of taxpayers' money.
"The NHS deserves better than to be run by faceless bureaucrats who waste their time and our money coming up with petty schemes like this."
See Hospital's 'smoke free' streets plan condemned by Forest.
The press release includes some of the comments that have been posted on our Facebook page. And this is where you come in ...
The trust's plans are subject to a six-week consultation. Submissions only take a minute or two to complete so please make your views known.
Now might also be a good moment to read (or re-read) last year's report, Smoked Out: The Hyper-Regulation of Smoking in Outdoor Public Places that we published in conjunction with the Manifesto Club.
You can download it here.
By coincidence the Manifesto Club has today announced that it is organising a "weekend of protest" (on August 6 and 7) against powers "that allow councils to ban activities if they believe these to have a 'detrimental effect' on the 'quality of life'."
Further information to follow.
Update: Discussing the hospital story on BBC WM tomorrow (Friday).
Reader Comments (2)
This is all nonsense. Who do councils think they are and why should we listen to the opinions of children ? To smoke or not to smoke is up to the individual, we don't need councils telling us what to do. Councils should concentraye on emptying bins and butt out of peoples lives. Just ignore their silly rules.
Reject this unnecessary outdoor ban. There is no risk to others from second hand smoke indoors or out,