THERE are no plans to introduce council bans on smoking in public areas in the South West despite moves in some metropolitan areas to introduce widespread bans.

The Bunbury Mail spoke to Bunbury, Capel, Dardanup and Harvey councils to establish whether or not there was pressure to introduce similar bans.

Bunbury deputy mayor Stephen Craddock said there were no plans to introduce a similar proposal in Bunbury.

“While I am anti-smoking, I won’t be initiating anything personally,” he said.

“I don’t see it as a key issue.”

Dardanup shire president Brad Day said the shire had not considered the issue.

“At this stage nothing has happened in Dardanup,” he said.

“Though I imagine there is a possibility it will.”

Cr Day said enforcement would be extremely difficult.

“To me it would be ridiculous,” he said.

“Why should councillors have to police something like that?”

Capel shire president Murray Scott agreed enforcement would be particularly difficult for a shire with limited resources.

“It would be very difficult to enforce at a local level,” he said.

However, Cr Scott would not rule out the idea of a council supported ban on smoking.

“If it gets a fair bit of public support then we will look at it,” he said.

Harvey shire president Peter Monagle said the council would not rush out to embrace such a proposal.

“People do have rights,” he said.

“Who is going to dictate to people what they should or shouldn’t do?”