No smoking regulations — how they affect churches

New regulations banning smoking in public places in England come into force on 1 July. Church representatives have met with the Head of the SmokeFree team from the Department of Health, together with their consultant on publicity matters. The meeting centred on how the Church and the Department could work together positively to minimise the impact and get the true implications of the legislation understood. A number of useful practical points arose:

• the Regulations do require one A5 notice at all public entrances, which must include the international (red circular 70mm) no smoking sign, printed in colour.
• It must also carry the wording NO SMOKING — It is against the law to smoke in these premises. But the “in these premises” wording can be changed to read “in this church”, or “in St Mary’s Church” etc. Such a notice could be adapted to be included in a general notice encouraging appropriate behaviour for a house of prayer;
• a small 70mm international sign is also required at all staff (i.e. not public) entrances;
• the signs do not have to be permanently fixed to the fabric — a poster on the noticeboard, or a sign in a portable stand, will do;
• there will be no cost to parishes/cathedrals: signs will be provided on request, via local authorities/Dept of Health;
• enforcement (by local authority officials) will be light touch: priorities will be premises such as pubs where non-compliance is likely to be more of a problem;
• the whole signage policy is to be reviewed by Government in three years’ time, by when it is hoped that no smoking will be much more absorbed into the public culture and signage unnecessary;
• the Department are keen to work with us on advice and guidance — including advice specifically about churches on their website.

So the basic message is: strictly speaking, from 1 July 2007, churches, places of worship, and church halls — both as public buildings and as workplaces — must not only be non-smoking but must also display signs to say that they are.

One easy solution has been suggested, which would cover the sensibilities of churches yet also comply: lots of churches have notice boards and No Smoking notices could be added to other notices displayed on them.

Suitable notices and other useful guidance notes can be downloaded from: http://www.smokefreeengland.co.uk

Please note especially the two-page document, Guidance for churches (86k .pdf)

---

A standard A5 sign A5 sign in Bradford livery A5 sign in C of E livery

DIY

For those who would like to make up their own signs, perhaps saying, "No smoking in St John's" a collection of no smoking logos (as used above) is available here

Before creating your own, please read the Guidance for Churches document carefully to ensure that your notice conforms to the regulations.

---

For those concerned about use of candles and incense... These do not contain tobacco — which is the banned substance.