Brighton and Hove Council has banned its employees from drinking any alcohol during working hours.
All 800 staff at can no longer drink at lunchtime, under new guidelines about drinking at work.
Chief executive Alan McCarthy said the move wasn’t in response to any particular problem among employees, but added: “We just concluded that work and drink don’t mix and a total ban was the obvious answer.”
Anyone who persistently breaks the rule faces being dismissed.
But councillor Bill Randall said it was “unfair” and members of staff should be trusted to make their own decisions.
“It’s a nanny state,” he told the BBC. “There are times when it is perfectly reasonable for somebody to have a drink during lunchtime.”
