There was something of a rallying cry from an embattled Sir Keir Starmer, vowing to provide local councils with stricter licensing controls over the prevalence of gambling shops.
During PMQs Dawn Butler MP – a representative for the constituency of Brent East who has been a consistent campaigner against gambling venues on the high street, posed the question to the Prime Minister to join the campaign for gambling reform.
She urged Starmer to enact the calls of Gordon Brown in tightening the restrictions for the opening of ‘gambling shops’ across UK high streets.
Starmer pulled no punches in his response, vowing to give local councils and governments strengthened powers to halt betting outlets in UK high streets.
“It is important that local authorities are given additional tools and powers to ensure vibrant high streets. We are looking at introducing cumulative impact assessments,” said the UK PM.
“These are like those already in place for alcohol licensing. We will give councils stronger powers over the location and numbers of gambling outlets to help create safe, thriving, high streets.”
Tackling the increase of betting outlets has been a foremost priority of Butler, with her describing their growth as a “rapid spread” in a previous campaign video.
The campaign of Butler and a myriad of other Labour MPs appears to group both retail betting shops and high street gambling venues under the same umbrella.
‘Aim to Permit’ under fire
The specific piece of legislation that Butler has taken aim at is the ‘Aim to Permit’ clause, which limits the power local councils have to refuse applications for new gambling establishments.
A Butler campaign video stated: “Why are there barely any betting shops in Canary Wharf but rows of them in places like Bethnal Green? It’s not by accident. Aim to Permit makes it easy for betting companies to target less wealthy areas. It’s time to end it.”
Her efforts follow the pursuit of Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham joined UK councils in demanding urgent Gambling Review action amid fears that local communities are being overwhelmed by “24-hour slot shops”.
In a letter addressed to DCMS Secretary Lisa Nandy, 36 councils and two mayors demanded “key reforms of the Gambling Act”, including giving councils more control to reject licence applications and considering local debt in planning decisions.
The letter, authored by Muhammed Butt, Leader of Brent Council, the local authority that includes Butler’s Brent East constituency, said: “The communities we serve are experiencing the detrimental impacts of the proliferation of gambling venues. To be clear, we are not calling for an outright ban on gambling in any form; rather, we are offering our collective support for much-needed reform of the legislation to suit the modern age.”
