Representatives from 36 regional councils have addressed a letter to DCMS calling for urgent reform to gambling regulation and planning laws, claiming AGC operators are “targeting areas of higher deprivation in a bid to maximise profits.” Funny, they don’t mention the hundreds and hundreds of shuttered shops on their high streets saved by the AGC sector – which would have been doomed by their very own hand if their authoritarian planning proposals were adopted.
Brent Council has led a group of 36 local authorities in addressing a letter to DCMS, which urges reform on the UK’s “desperately out of date” gambling and planning laws.
The letter accuses AGC and bingo operators of targeting low-income areas with new openings, and demands more powers to refuse licenses and planning permission.
Somewhat hypocritically, most of the low income areas referred to have been starved of any investment and support by those very councils that seem to be signing the letter.
But local government prefers to blame anyone else but themselves, and their letter to the DCMS was further evidence of that state of denial.
“Communities like Brent are experiencing a groundswell of land-based gambling operators, spreading along our high streets and seemingly targeting areas of higher deprivation in a bid to maximise profits,” states the letter.
“The alarming concentration of these premises is often met with strong community opposition, and concerns from public health and community safety officials. But, despite this shared opposition among residents, police and politicians, councils have found themselves effectively powerless to intervene.”
The letter outlines six proposals: reform the Aim to Permit policy, place bingo halls and AGCs in the same NPPF planning category as bookmakers, allow councils to consider local household debt levels when evaluating planning applications, administer the statutory levy, prohibit gambling advertising, and stop progress on proposals to “liberalise AGCs.”
A manifesto for hundreds more shuttered high street shops, the loss of thousands of local jobs and a huge decline in financial investment?
Brent Council doesn’t think so. But then there will many residents in that London borough who aren’t certain its council thinks at all.
The local authority argues that it has the second-highest number of betting premises, but leader Muhammed Butt, yes – it is an unfortunate name – said “our hands are effectively tied by a law no longer fit for purpose.”
Speaking to ITV, the council’s deputy leader Mili Patel said: “We’re not against gambling or gambling establishments. We’ve just had a concentration of them, that is the problem. At the moment Harlesden’s average income is under £24,000 a year, which is well below the London average… so it’s strategically targeting vulnerable people.”
No, Mr Patel, that’s not a convincing case. There’s business considerations such as the density of population; business rates and rent levels; building and retail unit availability; lease commitments; footfall.
Gambling campaigner Will Prochaska is dismissive. He said AGCs are “actually targeting addicts,” however the Betting and Gaming Council said its members “hold the highest standards on age verification and safer gambling standards.”
“Each month around 22.5 million people in Britain enjoy a bet while most recent NHS Health Survey for England estimated that 0.4 per cent of the adult population are problem gamblers.”
Responding to the letter, a spokesperson for the DCMS said: “Ministers continue to consider the best available evidence in this area to inform effective action as needed.”
