Council officials have been accused of hypocrisy for relaxing their much-publicised smoking ban to paying customers.

Brighton and Hove City Council claims to be at the forefront of anti-smoking policies.

A fortnight ago it banned lighting-up from all its buildings, including outdoor play parks, in a blaze of publicity.

The council is encouraging pubs, clubs, restaurants and other public areas to ban smoking as a partner in the UK's first smoke-free charter.

But The Argus can reveal smoking is still being allowed at high-profile council-run venues, including the Brighton Centre, the Royal Pavilion and Hove Town Hall, when they are hired for private functions.

The council's Conservative group leader Garry Peltzer Dunn said: "The council can't be seen to be a great moral leader and then profit by turning a blind eye and bending its own rules. It's double standards of the worst kind."

Council deputy leader Sue John launched the Brighton and Hove smoke-free charter earlier this month.

She said the council was acting ahead of Government legislation paving the way to outlawing smoking in all public places.

But yesterday it emerged private hirers can still light up in the Pavilion's Great Kitchen, which costs £1,950 for a function, and the Queen Adelaide Suite, which has a £1,250 price tag.

Coun Peltzer Dunn said: "If it is thought inappropriate for staff to be exposed to smoke, why should an exception be made for private functions?

"If the answer is because it makes the council money then that's totally unacceptable and sets a poor example for pubs, clubs and restaurants which are being encouraged to ban smoking."

Liberal Democrat leader Paul Elgood said: "This council has a no-smoking policy which was agreed by councillors and, therefore, it should be implemented in every circumstance.

"The council has to lead by example. We are ahead of national legislation and we are supposedly setting the standards we want others to follow.

"It's hypocrisy. I will be raising the matter with the chief executive tomorrow."

Green group convener Keith Taylor said: "It sounds like this could be more cock-up than conspiracy because it is totally inconsistent with council policy and I am mildly surprised.

"It's inappropriate and I would support any moves to rectify this double standard."

The council decided to bar smoking from its premises following Brighton and Hove's Big Smoke Debate, in which 83 per cent said they would prefer the habit to be banned from public spaces, both indoors and outdoors.

One of the main reasons was to safeguard staff against passive smoking.

The survey of 3,700 people was carried out by Brighton and Hove City NHS Primary Care Trust.

A council spokeswoman said: "If it is a private function where tickets are not sold then it is at the hirer's discretion whether to allow smoking at the event.

"The council took the opportunity to introduce no smoking at all publicly attended events but decided to keep the choice for private hirers as to whether they wanted to allow smoke at their functions.

"So far the reaction to the no-smoking policy has been positive.

"We are now sounding out people who hire our buildings privately with a view to possibly extending the policy to those events as well."

She could not say why a distinction had been made between public and private functions.

Coun John was out of the country yesterday and unavailable for comment.

Council leader Ken Bodfish said: "The council will be consulting the public on this. My personal view is I would like to see a ban across council venues."

A spokesman for campaign group Action on Smoking and Health said: "The council ought to be looking at ending smoking in all of its public buildings at all times and should be ahead of Government legislation."

A spokesman for Brighton and Hove City Teaching Primary Care Trust said: "We support the great strides made by the council in helping people give up smoking and in creating smoke-free public places but we recognise the practical difficulties this means in certain circumstances.

"We welcome the opportunity for further joint working to find ways of resolving issues like these."