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Change of government,
change of approach?
The prospect of an incoming Conservative
administration will result in likely changes
T
he general election is approaching,
so what would the industry want
from a Conservative government,
if one is elected?
The most important change that can
Could the smoking ban be extended to cover pub beer gardens? be expected – and is needed – is to
ensure there is a minister with sole
Smoke-free gardens on the way?
responsibility for tourism, who leads
tourism policy within the Department
New proposals could ban smoking completely at pubs
for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)
and who builds up tourism expertise.
By Martin Nash cigarettes from vending At present, this is lacking. The DCMS BOB COttOn is
machines from October 2011. appears to believe that tourism is a chief executive of
New plans, aimed at halving Health secretary Andy by-product of the other areas it funds the BHA. Leisure
the number of UK smokers Burnham said: "The govern- and cannot be seen as a sector itself. Opportunities is a
from 21 to 10 per cent of the ment has made massive This approach must surely change. member benefit of
population by 2020, have been progress on tobacco over the A tourism minister should represent the BHA, for your
unveiled by the government. past decade. the industry across Whitehall more free copy call
Based on the 1998 strategy "Ten years ago, millions more skillfully and more forcefully than 01462 471932
'Smoking Kills', the proposals people smoked and many have recent experience. He (or she) must
outlined could see the current died early as a result. We've ensure the industry's specific – and often unique – needs are
smoking ban extended to come so far and now we'll go considered when policy is being driven by other departments.
building entrances and public even further – to push forward Secondly, a Conservative government will have genuine
open spaces, potentially and save even more lives." doubts about the effectiveness of the Regional Development
impacting on beer gardens and Other government plans Agencies (RDAs) and will certainly want to take the
similar external areas. include the possibility of selling responsibility for tourism away from them.
Pub operators are already cigarettes in plain packaging Conflating iconic and discrete tourist areas (such as the
facing a commitment by the and offering smokers NHS help Cotswolds or the Lake District) into RDAs which stretch for
government to ban the sale of if they want to give up. many miles on either side, does little to promote tourism in the
area itself. It would be far better for voluntary associations of
local government, destinations and private partners to get
Rebel shareholders win M&B battle
together to develop partnerships that can promote a specific
tourist area more directly and in a more focused manner.
Piedmont, the investment One of the four newly- A Conservative government would also look to revitalise the
vehicle headed by billionaire elected directors, John economies of seaside resorts. Once the gem of British tourism,
Joe Lewis, has been success- Lovering, has been appoint- resorts have been neglected since the 1970s and few can now
ful in its battle with board ed chair of M&B, while boast of their facilities or the standards they offer.
members at pub group Simon Burke, Mike Balfour Plans to move away from regional quangos towards helping
Mitchells and Butlers (M&B). and Jeremy Blood will also local authorities to develop partnerships will certainly help
At the company's AGM on take a place on the board, here. So will proposals to allow local government to keep some
28 January, rebel sharehold- bringing an end to the increases in business rates. Such a measure will enable them to
ers ousted chair Simon Laffin long-running feud. develop their local tourism economies free from an RDAs
and former chair Drummond Lovering said: "The board overriding (and occasionally misguided) diktat.
Hall from the board, while all will put recent history behind One of the most important aspects of this is the prospect of
four independent directors us and move forward establishing Tourist Growth Zones which will give local
put forward by Piedmont committed to the interests of authorities tax incentives to encourage development and
were elected. all shareholders." regeneration. If all these measures came to pass, the industry
will be mightily satisfied. Only time will tell.
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