Wealden Goes Smokefree
From the 1st July 2007 it is against the law to smoke in virtually all enclosed public places, workplaces and work vehicles in England.
Once the Smokefree legislation is in place, you and your family can enjoy visits to restaurants, pubs, nightclubs, shopping centres and other public places without breathing in secondhand smoke.
For those of you who wish to continue smoking, it’s worth noting that some landowners may designate some outside areas as smokefree too.
The following questions and answers tell you more about the smokefree legislation and how it affects you.
What kind of places are covered by the smokefree legislation?
What kind of places are not covered by the smokefree legislation?
How will I know where I can smoke?
How can I complain if people are not following the smokefree legislation?
What are the penalties and who is responsible if the legislation is not followed?
How will Wealden District Council help Wealden be smokefree?
Where can I get help to give up smoking?
What are the benefits of living and working in a smokefree environment?
Information for business owners and employers
Secondhand smoke is a mixture of the smoke given off by the burning end of a cigarette, pipe or cigar and the smoke exhaled from the lungs of smokers.
Non-smokers who breathe in secondhand smoke are at risk of the same diseases as smokers, including cancer and heart disease.
For further information about secondhand smoke, visit the Smokefree England website.
What kind of places are covered by the smokefree legislation?
The legislation applies to enclosed and substantially enclosed public places and workplaces.
Enclosed public places include shops, offices, factories, pubs, restaurants, public transport, and work vehicles used by more than one person. This also includes places like the corridors and stairs of blocks of flats.
Communal areas within residential care homes and hospices will be smokefree.
Substantially enclosed public places means structures with a ceiling or roof and surrounded mostly by walls. This includes tents, marquees, conservatories and many bus shelters.
What kind of places are not covered by the smokefree legislation?
Outside areas are not automatically covered by the legislation. However, landowners have the ability to make the area surrounding a building or an entrance smokefree.
Private dwellings will not have to be smokefree.
Hotel, Bed and Breakfast, residential care home and hospice bedrooms have some exemptions from the smokefree legislation, although communal areas within these buildings will be smokefree.
If smoking is allowed in a bedroom it needs to be clearly signposted as a ‘smoking room’. Its ventilation system must not link into smoke-free public areas and it must have doors fitted with a mechanical closing device to prevent smoke drift.
How will I know where I can smoke?
All smokefree premises and vehicles must display no-smoking signs in a prominent position.
Also, your employer should have a smokefree policy. This should outline the outside smoking areas at your workplace, although your employer is under no obligation to provide any.
How can I complain if people are not following the smokefree legislation?
If you find that a person or place is not following the smokefree legislation and would like to complain, please contact us with the details.
The council will investigate your complaint and take action if appropriate.
What are the penalties and who is responsible if the legislation is not followed?
If you smoke in a smokefree place, you could receive a penalty notice of £50, or be fined up to £200 in court.
The manager of the smokefree premises in which you are smoking could also be fined up to £2500 in court.
How will Wealden District Council help Wealden be Smokefree?
The Council is one of the district’s biggest employers and fully supports the smokefree campaign – having a smokefree environment helps improve the health and wellbeing of local people, and its own employees.
We also play an important role in providing information regarding the smokefree legislation. Our Public Protection Team are advising some 4,000 businesses in Wealden on how to comply with the legislation.
Information for businesses going smokefree can be found on our Wealden Business Help website.
After the 1st July 2007, our Public Protection Team will also make sure businesses and employers are complying with the law.
Where can I get help to give up smoking?
The Council is working with the local NHS who regularly hold 'giving up sessions' for people who want to stop smoking.
If you would like to get free help giving up and to speak to advisors who understand the pressures on people wanting to give up,contact the NHS Stop Smoking Service.
You can also get your friends and family to sponsor you to quit smoking with Cancer Research UK. Create your own online sponsorship page now to allow friends and family to support you in your quit attempt and raise vital funds for Cancer Research UK.
What are the benefits of living and working in a smokefree environment?
Living and working in a smokefree environment means the risk of being subjected to secondhand smoke and the associated health problems is significantly reduced, if not eliminated. Find further details on the NHS Go Smokefree and Smokefree England websites.
Information for business owners and employers
The Wealden Business Help website gives clear guidance on which premises are affected, what the law says, how it affects you and your employees and what you can do if public currently smoke on your premises.
There are also links to help you introduce a workable smokefree policy.