AlanA

The article below has just appeared on the Bolton News website.
As suspected, Bolton Council cocked up !
What a climbdown from them !
I'll be back in the Swan this weekend then !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

quote

Hogan back behind pumps
By Jane Lavender
Comment | Read Comments (17)

REBEL landlord Nick Hogan has been reinstated as the licensee of The Swan hotel and Barristers bar.

Bolton Council's licensing department has confirmed it is amending the licence of the town centre pubs, once again naming Mr Hogan as the landlord.

He was shut out when the owner of the buldings, Paul Kylie, had his son installed as the new landlord after a meeting with licensing chiefs at Bolton Council.

But Mr Hogan launched a battle against the decision and his solicitor, Andrew Haffner, is expecting to receive the new licence tomorrow.

Mr Hogan, said: "I'm delighted and this just shows that I haven't done anything wrong . I thought I was going to be out of here on September 21, but I'm still here on September 27 because I'm an honourable, decent businessman."

Mr Hogan was locked out of The Swan and Barristers last Friday when the owner of the buildings, Paul Kylie called in the baliffs and changed the locks, claiming the terms of the lease had been broken because the landlord had allowed customers to smoke.

The pub boss - who has been making headlines for allegedly flouting the smoking ban - went to the High Court in Manchester and claimed he had not broken the law because he had not been convicted in connection with his reported smoking ban breaches.

Mr Hogan won the right to get back into the two pubs, but as the case was being heard, Mr Kylie and his son, Ryan, visited Bolton Council's licensing department, where they changed the tenancy of The Swan and Barristers, naming Ryan as the new licensee.

But following a letter from Mr Hogan's solicitor, the council have reversed their decision and he has now been reinstated as landlord.

His solicitor, Mr Haffner, said: "We were very concerned regarding the circumstances surrounding how the license got transferred into Ryan Kelly's name last Friday. We asked the licensing authority to investigate matters and we put in an application for the transfer of the license back into Nick's name and they have now granted that application."

The controversial landlord has repeatedly allowed drinkers to smoke in the two bars.

He is now awaiting trial after pleading not guilty to five counts of failing to prevent people from smoking and four of obstructing council officers.

Mr Hogan was due to appear at the High Court in Manchester this morning to determine whether he has breached the terms of his lease.

5:40pm today

Roland

Nice to get the odd bit of good news on the subject.

kernow

I know the wrath of the pro smoking Gods will be on me, but I love walking into smoke free Pubs now and I'm not alone!

brian pearson

Not the pro smoking gods. The freedom gods maybe. All the pubs where I live are pretty empty these days. A lot are up for rent and a few boarded up. Maybe nothing to do with the ban but I would bet if they allowed the pubs that are rotting away to open as designated smoking pubs they would have no problem finding staff and customers.

Couldn't have radical free choice on that scale though could we !

Millennium3

If smokers pubs were sanctioned where no children were allowed which was for people over 21 and staffed with smokers - what complaint could be made? Even the non smokers could not whinge!

How many votes in that policy - given that there are some 14m smokers - around one third of the electorate?

brian pearson

And I bet they would be the most popular in town. Especially the no children bit.

Millennium3

Do you think NF has got the guts to take it on board?

kernow

He wouldn't need guts to take it on board, but he would have to be nuts!

brian pearson

It should be a given that this is the kind of thing UKIP stands for. I get the feeling that Joe Publics tolerance of the Nanny state is coming to an end. Wouldn't do any harm though if they made it an issue.

We'll see this winter, when the novelty of standing outside a pub is wearing a bit thin. Could be the perfect news opportunity for NF. Anybody who disagrees with an individuals choice on whether to work in and visit a pub clearly marked as a smoking establishment would dismiss UKIP as a watered down BNP anyway.

Who's the fascists ?

Millennium3

Interestingly, at this time when NF must be pondering his response to Cameron's promise of a referendum. If he adopted the 'smokers pubs' policy and undertook to only fight those seats in working class areas, which are Labour strongholds, where the incidence of smoking is the highest, he would achieve a double whammy by acting in a statesman like fashion on the referendum whilst at the same time weakening Labours vote in their heartlands, by fighting the cause of personal liberty!