The Prime Minister has announced new powers to help London boroughs crack down on betting and vape shops in a bid to save "hollowed out high streets". Andy Burnham has pledged to scrap the "aim to permit" rule, which limits the ability of town halls to prevent casinos, betting shops and 24-hour slot machine venues opening.
Planning permission will also be required for stores selling e-cigarettes as part of efforts to give residents a greater say over what opens in their communities. Formal definitions of what constitutes a vape shop will also be tightened to stop businesses claiming to be a "convenience store or a retailer", the Government said.
Concerns over deprived areas
London boroughs have for years raised concerns about adult gaming sites opening in some of the capital's most deprived roads. Dawn Butler, the MP for Brent East, last year raised the issue in the Commons after learning there were 80 gambling venues in the borough, including ten betting shops within a ten-minute walk in Harlesden.
"I am tired of seeing the number of betting shops on the high street in Brent, and how every time there is an empty shop, another betting shop opens in its place," she told a gambling reform debate. She added: "In economically deprived areas, every second or third shop was a brightly lit gambling shop. I could look down the road and see all the bright lights glittering and trying to encourage people to come in and spend their money. There was, however, one particular high street where I could not find a gambling shop. I walked up and down it on both sides. It is one of the wealthiest high streets in London, in Hampstead."
New planning requirements
Adult gaming centres offering 24 hours of access to slot and fruit machines will require planning permission under the shake-up, expected to come into effect at the start of next year. Under proposals first announced by Mr Burnham's predecessor Sir Keir Starmer, police will also be able to shut down "dodgy" barbers, vape shops and nail salons for up to a year.
The maximum length of "closure orders" will be extended from six months to a year to give detectives more time to investigate a premises linked to organised crime. Officials said the Government would also set clearer expectations for the design of high street shop fronts to improve the appearance and pre-empt complaints about "garish neon signs" and "oversized logos." Working with local authorities, it will publish "practical guidance" for councils on how to make town centres more attractive, they said.
Background and impact
The "aim to permit" policy was introduced when Sir Tony Blair's Labour government, in which Mr Burnham was a minister, liberalised gambling laws in 2005. It comes as analysis by think tank the Centre for Social Justice found that Britain has lost nearly 1,800 pubs and bars since 2016, while the number of vape and tobacco shops increased to almost 2,200.
Mr Burnham said: "For many people, the high streets they grew up with have been hollowed out and become unrecognisable over decades of decline. The rise of vape shops, betting shops and rogue operators have replaced the shops, services, and community spaces that people are crying out for. That's not on. I said we would improve Britain's high streets, and that's exactly what we are starting to do.
"We're putting communities back in control and giving local people a real say over what opens on their high street. Local councils will be given the powers they need to rein in unwanted shops and bring town centres back to life. High streets are the beating heart of local communities, but for too long Westminster has stood by while they have been in decline."
The PM, after taking a holiday a little over a fortnight into the job, has said he will spend much of the rest of August travelling the country asking people how the Government can improve their lives. Officials have said he will be in "listening mode", with a focus on reviving high streets and tackling the cost of living. But he is under pressure over his handling of the prisoner-release row, as two of PC Andrew Harper's killers are still to be freed early despite Mr Burnham's review of the plans.
Communities and Local Government Minister Angela Rayner added: "People know when their high street isn't working for them. Whether it's the vape shop or betting shops that's opened with no say from locals, the shopfront that's seen better days, or the sense that nobody's in control. These problems have built up over years, but this government won't leave councils and communities powerless to crack down on everyday eyesores that blight our high streets. That's why we're giving local leaders the power to say no to what doesn't belong on their high street, and the tools to fix it themselves."
