Crazy council bosses want staff to report people who smoke in their own homes, and refuse to stub out their cigarettes. The barmy idea, dreamed up by health and safety chiefs, is revealed in a Birmingham City Council memo leaked to the Sunday Mercury. It says that staff, such as social workers and home helps, could be at risk from passive smoking during house visits. The memo orders employees to tell tenants, including pensioners or housebound residents, to put out their ciggies - or face being reported. Other staff who could be asked to impose the barmy ban include trading standards or licensing officers, who frequently visit smoke-filled buildings like pubs or bars. Last night, smokers group FOREST blasted the idea as an invasion of basic human rights. The memo at the centre of the controversy was circulated by Viv Strong, the councils directorate safety officer, and is titled Corporate Policy on Smoking. It reads: When employees are called upon to visit service users at home it has to be accepted that the service user is entitled to smoke in their own home. Employees in such instances may politely request that the service user refrains from smoking, taking into account their own personal safety throughout the duration of the visit. Where the service user refuses to co-operate, the employee should report this incident immediately to their manager. Upon receipt of such information managers should review the risk assessment. Last night a council insider said: This is about as daft as you can get. If some official walked into Dot Cottons home in EastEnders and told her to snub out her fag, it would be dismissed by viewers as too far-fetched. But it is really happening. Its the ultimate example of the nanny state. What next? Will we see the council asking people not to have a few drinks in their own home? If social workers or home helps are going to report people for having a cigarette, then were just going to be even more unpopular than we already are. Simon Clark, of FOREST, said: Smokers are already fighting for what few rights they have left. This farcical memo is certainly the first example of a local authority going this far in peoples own homes. Its typical of the crass hysteria surrounding smoking at the moment. Coun Alan Rudge, Cabinet Member for Equalities & Human Resources, said: We have a duty of care for the health and safety of employees. But this has to be balanced, in a commonsense and practical way, with the requirement to deliver a service to residents. We would expect that any issue over smoking would be resolved so that the needs of both staff and service user are taken into account. If, however, the guidance notes present any difficulties in the council delivering a service, then I would require we look again at this particular section of the policy to see whether it needs to be modified. | 
