Prime Minister Andy Burnham has pledged to give local people a greater say over which new shops can open as part of a drive to revitalise Britain's 'hollowed-out' high streets.
Kicking off a nationwide summer tour on Tuesday, Burnham will promise to hand new powers to councils and residents while highlighting the decline of town centres. He will launch a crackdown on vape shops, new bookies, and 'rogue businesses', building on former PM Keir Starmer's efforts to boost neglected high streets.
Power to say no
Writing for The Mirror, Burnham said: "These changes are about giving local people something they lost a while back: the power to say no."
"They're about wrestling back the control taken from our communities decades ago and finally giving them a proper say on what happens to the places they call home. But they're also just the beginning. Because saying no is only half the job. We don't just want fewer vape and betting shops. We want more butchers, bakers and bookshops - the businesses that make a high street feel like home."
Downing Street said the government will revoke the Blair-era 'Aim to Permit' rule, which restricts councils' ability to refuse new betting and 24-hour slot machine shops. Local people and authorities will also get a say over whether vape shops open and to stop them opening near schools. Officials added that the formal definition of a vape shop will be tightened to prevent businesses side-stepping the rules by claiming to be a 'convenience store or a retailer'.
New powers for police
Under proposals first announced by Starmer's government, police will also be able to shut down 'dodgy' barbers, vape shops, and nail salons for up to a year.
Burnham added: "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."
Minister backs crackdown
Housing and Communities Secretary 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."
She said: "These problems have built up over years, but this government won't leave councils and communities powerless to crackdown 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."
Last year, The Mirror reported on how UK high streets were becoming 'ghost towns' with banks, libraries, pharmacies, and public toilets replaced by vaping shops, bookies, and takeaways.
Think tank findings
Downing Street also highlighted analysis from the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) think tank, which found that Britain has lost nearly 1,800 pubs and bars while vape and tobacco shops have increased to almost 2,200 since 2016.
Joshua Nicholson, head of housing and communities at the CSJ, said: "Britain's high streets have been hijacked by a growing number of dodgy vape shops, mini marts, and barbers, many of which are linked to organised crime."
"The Government is right to give councils new powers to say no to these dodgy shops. High street renewal is vital to restoring security within our communities."
Industry response
However, the Betting and Gaming Council disputed any suggestion that betting shops were spreading unchecked and insisted the real threat to high streets was "more empty units and fewer local jobs, not businesses rooted in the communities they serve".
A spokesperson said: "We support tough action against criminal operators and agree local people should have a proper say over their high streets. But the suggestion that betting shops are spreading unchecked is simply wrong. Betting shop numbers have fallen by over a third since 2019. Around 3,000 shops have closed and over 15,000 jobs have already been lost."
"It is wrong to lump highly regulated, licensed betting shops together with rogue or criminal businesses. Betting shops still support 37,500 jobs, bring vital footfall to neighbouring businesses and, for many customers, are valued community hubs."
