Caerphilly County Borough Council has banned the use of electronic cigarettes by employees in all council buildings and vehicles.
The cabinet approved the ban on April 30 after members of the authority’s Policy and Resources Scrutiny Committee agreed to include e-cigarettes in its no smoking policy.
The move to stop the use of electronic cigarettes on council premises and in council vehicles is in line with Aneurin Bevan University Health Board and other local authorities.
Cllr Christine Forehead, Cabinet Member for Human Resources, said: “As a council we recognise that smoking is the single most preventable cause of illness, premature death and health inequality throughout the United Kingdom.
“This policy strengthens our efforts to make council premises a healthy, smoke-free work environment for employees and visitors.”
Typical labour, if you can’t tax it, ban it.
Realist,- Or charge for it, issues a license for it, or employ a couple of people to `enforce it`.
Unenforceable and a poorly thought out move. Time the council concentrated on what we actually pay it to do, which is to maintain schools, roads, drainage parkland and so on.
It is hardly surprising that less than one in four people could be bothered to vote in the last by-election. With the former senior employees of the council apearing in Crown Court this month our, rather expensive, council decides to occupy its time banning an aid to smokers who wish to give up or reduce their smoking. They now face the problem of enforcing this ban. The emissions from an E-cigarette are completely undectable, perhaps they will employ undercover agents to prowl the council buildings and keep council vans under surveillance?
Councils are becoming nothing more than regulatory bodies, looking down upon joe public from their shiny glass towers, having endless meetings to discuss what new wheeze they can be the first to come up with or what extra charge, tax or levy they can bring in for something the tax payer is already paying them to do. They appear to have forgotten what they are actually employed to do…and they can start by cutting the grass in my street which is beginning the resemble a jungle.
How exactly does the Council in the guise of Christine Forehead arrive at the conclusion stated by herself. Apparently, this is still in the argumentative stage where no-one is sure about anything. It would be nice if the Council produced conclusive evidence as proof of their deliberations and not, as is their wont, say the first thing that comes out into their heads hoping that it will be believed.
As I stated before they ban e-cigarettes which are helping people give up smoking yet they pass a 24hr licence for mcdonalds in newbridge and therefore are not bothered about obesity.