As lockdown slowly lifts, Oxfordshire is gearing up to ban outdoor smoking and become the first smoke-free county in England, reports MailOnline.

Oxfordshire County Council has unveiled its plans on route to becoming the country’s first smoke-free county by 2025, which includes banning outdoors smoking at bars and restaurants. As yet, there is no timeframe or plan on how the smoking ban could be enforced, with a spokesperson for the Council saying it remained the responsibility of individual district councils to implement the plans, reports MailOnline.
Businesses are also being encouraged to forbid employees from smoking in outside office areas and plans for “smoke-free areas” at offices, homes, parks and school gates are being considered.
According to MailOnline, Councillor Andrew McHugh had attempted to make all new pavement licenses smoke-free however, this was restricted by Cherwell District Council who stated there was no need to impose even more rules on struggling businesses in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Smokers’ lobby group, The Freedom Organisation for the Right to Enjoy Smoking Tobacco (Forest), reacted to the planned proposals by saying it was “no business of local councils if adults choose to smoke.”