The Labour party has been quick to rule out any plans to change opening hours for pubs after the comment by public health minister Andrew Gwynne. However, this has done little to reassure pub landlords across south Essex who fear the impact of any changes would be huge in the wake of proposals to ban smoking in beer gardens. Steve Haslam, landlord of the Bread and Cheese pub in Benfleet said: “If that’s the truth, then the government are hell bent on closing many pubs and taking away many livelihoods.
“It’s a terrible shame on the back of the announcement that they would be banning smoking in pub gardens. If you think of what the hospitality industry has been through with the pandemic and the cost of living and energy crisis, I think this may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back”. The team at the Gun Pub, in Pitsea, echoed Mr Haslam’s perception of a government that is hostile towards small businesses.
Landlady Lynne Mohseni said: “It’s a no from me, it’s the wrong decision to make. Everybody who is judging pubs needs to look at the bigger picture. People won’t bother going to pubs anymore because they will think pubs will shut down.
“Historically, people met to socialise in a pub. It’s a safe space and we are losing that. I think it’s to hit hospitality in general, I don’t think it should just be aimed at pubs.
“It’s another worry for pubs about how we are going to survive, it will be like a nanny state. It’s terrible, concentrate on .