Smokers could be banned by Caerphilly County Borough Council from lighting up in playground and parks.
The council’s Living Environment Scrutiny Committee will meet on the March 20 to discuss the prospect of adopting the smoke-free policy.
Smoking in enclosed public places has been banned in Wales since April 2007 and the council hopes that extending the ban to include children’s play areas will promote non-smoking as the social norm.
Rob Hartshorn, the council’s head of public protection, said: “Ill health due to smoking and passive smoking is one of the most preventable health problems that faces people in Wales.
“We as a council are trying to do our bit to encourage young people and children to see non-smoking as the best thing for their health.
“Our plans to introduce the ban and erect signs in the play areas will encourage this notion and also encourage parents who smoke to attempt to quit.”
The issue of passive smoking in parks has been signalled as a priority by the Caerphilly Youth Forum, who fully support the proposals that promise to ban smoking in all play areas across the borough. Members of the Forum will also attend the meeting to provide their views on the proposal.
Smoking continues to be the largest single preventable cause of ill health and premature death in Wales, causing around 5,650 deaths each year. This includes the harm caused to non-smokers who have inhaled second hand smoke.
Researchers have revealed that since enforcing the ban of smoking in public places in Scotland, the number of premature births in the country has dropped by 10%.
How on earth do the council intend to enforce this regulation if they decide to introduce it at all.??
It is clear from evidence collated over the last two years or so that the Council and the Gwent Police are either incapable or unwilling to enforce these local arrangements, i.e. misbehaviour and breaches of regulation by-laws in local parks etc.words, I am afraid, are cheap. It is of course laudable that the council gives considerations to these sorts of public health issues but they count for nothing at all if effective enforcement is not proactive.
And the Caerphilly council already fail totally in respect to preventing turning the Castle Gounds in Caerphilly town into a Beer Garden for those banned from local pubs, or, underage drinkers, or, those who simply know they will not have any penalty for breaking the law in the park.
The Caerphilly council`s Street Wardens nor the police patrol this park enforcing the law.
Unenforceable, unworkable and yet another attack on civil liberty. Personally I believe that a pensioner should have every right to puff on his pipe whilst sitting on a park bench. The council does not stop people spitting chewing gum all around the streets of Caerffili, daubing graffiti over our buildings, vomiting over the pavement, smashing public telephones and bus shelters and yet they still want to latch onto yet another ‘trendy’ band wagon. Walk through David Williams Park and you are far more likely to get a bottle across the head than be inconvenienced by a tourist smoking a cigarette, as an unlucky bystander found when struck by a bottle thrown from the park into the beer garden of the Courthouse last year.
They will spend our money on signs and information leaflets and for what? The toxic fumes from cars are a far more sinister contributor to early death, with White Street being identified as having particularly large concentrations of airborne toxins. What has this Plaid Cymru council done about this? As a member of the AQMA (Air Quality Management Area) group I am not aware of any action being taken. Perhaps someone from the council can comment on what the plan is to reduce demonstrably high levels of toxins from combustion (mostly from motor vehicles) before they embark on an ill conceived and unworkable plan to stop law abiding people smoke in the open air?
I agree with Richard Williams. Parks are for all of the community, not just the young. I agree that this ia another attack on civil liberties. If this is ban is introduced, perhaps the Council should consider a rebate of council tax to smokers, and let the non-smokers pay for the upkeep. The Council could always charge an entrance fee for what has always been a much appreciated "free" public amenity. I feel that this is just another example of the Government and Councils going over-the-top on unnecessary legislation and wasting public money. I think my Council Tax would be better spent in more needy areas.