London council leaders back smoking ban

The leaders of London's 33 councils have given their support to the principle of a smoking ban in enclosed public places

The Leaders' Committee of the Association of London Government (ALG) has unanimously agreed the idea should be further developed for a private bill to submitted to Parliament.

ALG Chair, Sir Robin Wales, said: "We feel we can't ignore the growing evidence of the effect smoking has not only on the people that smoke but also on others through passive smoking.

"Smokers make the choice to smoke, but equally there are others who decide they don't want to.

"We want to ensure that non-smokers are able to enjoy visiting public places without the risk of inhaling other people's smoke, which leads to death.

"We must also think about the health of the people who work in these places. It is estimated that in London one million non-smoking workers are exposed to tobacco smoke.

"A possible smoking ban was just one of a number of the ideas the boroughs, mainly following concerns of their local residents, put forward for inclusion in the 9th London Local Authorities Bill.

"However because of the strength of feeling around this issue, we feel it is best that this forms a separate Bill."

The Bill will be promoted in Parliament by the ALG along with the 9th London Local Authorities Bill, which will seek to give boroughs greater powers to tackle a range of issues that affect the quality of life of Londoners.

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