Joy for smokefree campaigners

Campaigners in Liverpool tonight said the Commons vote on smoking legislation was 'an overwhelming triumph' for common sense.

And they pledged to start work tomorrow on making sure that the transition to a smokefree city is as painless and comprehensive as possible.

"We had said all along that our aim for Liverpool was to achieve 100% smokefree workplaces. This vote now means that the whole of England will feel the benefits, and that workers everywhere will be protected from the effects of second hand tobacco smoke.

"Any other decision would just have been illogical: this is an overwhelming triumph," said Cllr Warren Bradley, Leader of Liverpool City Council. "This goes to show that politicians do listen to the arguments, and in this case they have put the health of England's workers ahead of any other considerations."

Cllr Gideon Ben-Tovim, Chair of Central Liverpool PCT and Joint Chair of the SmokeFree Liverpool Stakeholder Group, said: "There has been a tremendous amount of hard work from campaigners in Liverpool and across the country, and it has paid off handsomely.

"The great thing is that all workers will be protected, and we will not have the situation where smoking would still have been allowed in some pubs or clubs - often in disadvantaged areas - and health inequalities would have been exacerbated."

Liverpool MP Louise Ellman, who is sponsoring the Liverpool Smokefree Bill in Parliament, added: "Liverpool has been a front runner in this campaign - as it has in many other public health initiatives.

"We were prepared to carry on with our own Parliamentary Bill to ensure that the city could have smokefree workplaces - but this commonsense victory means that everyone can now concentrate on implementing the legislation and making the city a healthier and better place to live and work."

Andy Hull, Chair of SmokeFree Liverpool and Head of Environmental Health and Trading Standards Service, said: "in some senses, the hard work starts now. We will be spending the next year or so trying to ensure that all the businesses which need support, or are unsure about how the legislation will affect them, receive information and practical help. We will also be working closely with all our partners to make sure the switch to 100% smokefree workplaces works comprehensively and smoothly."