SMOKERS could be forced to puff in private in York council community buildings under a new drive to get people to stub it out.

City of York social services boss Sue Galloway said she asked her department to review smoking arrangements in public areas of council-run buildings, such as sheltered housing complexes.

Coun Galloway said: "We are not talking about peoples' flats. But there are a lot of public areas in social services establishments and special corners have been dedicated for smoking.

"We have asked if that is what we should be doing."

Smokers have already been banished from most parts of The Guildhall.

The smoke room, near the council chamber, was recently made no smoking and was renamed Room Four.

Coun Galloway said she was working closely with Selby and York Primary Care Trust on how improvements could be made to the area's health care.

She said this would include exploring a smoking ban in the area surrounding health buildings, such as York hospital or the NHS walk-in centre, in Monkgate.

But council leader Steve Galloway said there were no council plans in place to push towards making York a "smoke-free" city.

An initiative is under way in Liverpool under which a "smoke-free" group, which includes the council, is working to make as many places in the city as possible no-smoking, including pubs and restaurants.

Updated: 09:30 Saturday, April 03, 2004