Christchurch City Councillor Jamie Gough says new Council rules banning smoking in outdoor dining areas it owns are draconian and over-the-top.
Yesterday, councilors voted to extend the council's smokefree public places policy to include council-owned footpaths used for outdoor dining. The council already bans smoking at council playgrounds, parks, reserves, bus stops and shelters, and the spaces outside the main entrances and exits of all council-owned buildings.
Councillor Phil Clearwater is defending the moves.