WATFORD councillors who this week banned employees from smoking inside the Town Hall have decided to make their own rooms exempt from the rule.

Most offices at the Hempstead Road building are already non-smoking, with smokers having to gather in corridors, toilets or doorways for a cigarette.

But following the policy and resources committee on Tuesday evening, they have been told that this will now be forbidden.

A new designated smoking area will be created inside the building and smoking breaks will still be allowed, although managers have been told to make sure the efficiency of the council's service is not affected.

Council employees who want to give up smoking altogether will be supported and a series of stop-smoking courses are to be arranged.

Councillors, however, have allowed smoking in their own meeting rooms, although some argued vehemently against the ruling.

Councillor Tim Williams argued: "I am quite an anti-smoker and I can't understand why the party group rooms are being left out of this rule.

"And why should we also allow smoking breaks? People should smoke in their own time and then work half-an-hour extra at the end of the day."

Councillor Iain Sharpe agreed: "I think members should abide by the same rules as officers. This could be seen as a slap in the face for employees; one rule for us and another for everyone else."

Councillor David Hobbs added: "We should have a smoking area. I always see groups of six or seven people gather outside the housing office and that doesn't give visitors a good impression of the town hall."

But Councillor Andy Head argued the smoking ban was to protect employees. He said members rooms were solely for the use of elected councillors and it was up to individual groups to decide if smoking should be banned in their own rooms.

Council leader Vince Muspratt added that he would continue to smoke in his own office.

He said: "I work considerably long hours and if I am going to put in that sort of commitment, I will smoke in my own room. No employees have to come in there."

A vote which would have included members rooms in the ban was voted by only a handful of the committee and therefore not carried. The smoking ban in the rest of the building will take immediate effect.

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