Independent shopkeepers have launched a film appeal today to members of the House of Lords on the eve of their debate on tobacco displays.
Tomorrow the Lords will start their debate then vote on whether or not shops can keep their tobacco displays as part of the Health Bill.
Members of the Tobacco Retailer’s Alliance claim a display ban would place a massive financial and operational burden on their businesses, forcing many to close, and that a ban would not cut youth smoking as the Government has suggested.
The shopkeepers have produced a short film to send to Lords and MPs to convey these concerns claiming that shopkeepers have so far not been sufficiently included in the debate.
Ken Patel, a retailer from Leicester and National Spokesman for the Tobacco Retailers Alliance, said: “We made this video as a way of speaking to politicians, because so far we do not feel the Government has listened to us. The whole consultation process has been a complete sham.”
“It is ridiculous that we should not be included in the debate as we are on the front line of selling cigarettes. We know what measures will work, what will be ineffective, and what will force small shops out of business. I hope politicians watch our film and listen to the concerns of real shopkeepers on the front line of this problem. The Government should be working with us, not against us.”
Debbie Corris, an independent shopkeeper from Whitstable in Kent, said: “We need to redress the balance of accountability in youth access to tobacco. The current Government strategy is to put the whole burden of responsibility on small shops, but everyone in society including parents, teachers and the authorities has a role to play in combating the problem of youth smoking.
“These proposals would have a massive impact on our businesses but the Government are willing to do it, regardless of the lack of evidence to suggest it could work. In the absence of any evidence, a display ban is nothing more than a gimmick.”
