Burnham to scrap ‘aim to permit’ for UK betting shops amid continued closures

The UK government is preparing to introduce a package of enforcement reforms designed to give local councils significantly stronger powers over the types of shops that can operate on Britain’s high streets. 

The new measures will target betting shops and adult gaming locations (AGCs), with the aim of curbing illegal activity and revitalising town centres. It will also target vape retailers.

An ‘aim to permit’ scrap and planning permission

First reported by the BBC, the government has said it will repeal the established ‘aim to permit’ rule for betting shops and 24-hour slot machine arcades across Great Britain, removing a presumption in favour of granting permission for such venues. 

AGCs in England that offer round-the-clock access to gambling machines will instead require planning approval.

Additionally, any new retail outlet in England wishing to sell e-cigarettes or vapes will be required to obtain planning permission prior to opening.

Posting on his Facebook page this morning, Prime Minister Andy Burnham called betting shops “dodgy businesses”.

“We’re giving local people and councils more control over what opens, and tougher powers to crack down on businesses that aren’t good for our communities,” he wrote.

“For too long, Westminster has stood by while our high streets declined. That ends now.”

The government intends to make an official announcement on these changes later today.

The proposed reforms have received a mixed response from both industry bodies and local government representatives, although many warn that planning changes alone will not halt the broader decline in town centres. 

BGC welcomes council enhancement plans

The Betting and Gaming Council welcomed plans to enhance local input over betting shops.

“We support tough action against criminal operators and agree local people should have a proper say over their high streets,” said a BGC spokesperson. “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.

“The real threat to Britain’s hard-pressed high streets is more empty units and fewer local jobs, not businesses rooted in the communities they serve.”

‘How dare the government compare vape and betting shops’

The Local Government Association described the government’s approach as a “positive step” towards empowering councils to address problematic premises. 

“Extra powers will help councils in revitalising high streets and shaping their communities, particularly in regulating betting and vaping shops, while also breathing new life into empty premises,” said a spokesperson.  

Compliance consultant Kirsty Caldwell, of Betsmart, also hit back at the government’s comparison between licensed betting shops and vape shops on the high street.

“The industry pours millions into regulatory controls and consumer protection. What’s more, it seems to have been conveniently forgotten by the PM, that legal betting shops have been a fixture of the UK high street since the 1960’s – their presence hardly creates an ‘unrecognisable’ high street,” Caldwell wrote on her LinkedIn page.

“How can a sector, which generates circa £4 billion in tax revenue and well over 100,000 jobs nationwide, be classified alongside industries which have no regulatory control whatsoever, and have been proven time and again to be fronts for laundering illicit funds?”

High street losing its shops

The measures follow a continued negative period for the retail betting sector, as a number of leading UK operators have closed a number of shops across their estates.

In August Betfred announced plans to close 132 of its UK betting shops and reduce its workforce by more than 600 employees, as of September. The operator said that these closures were an effect of the UK’s Remote Gambling Duty (RGD) rise.

In a direct statement seen by iGB, CEO Jo Whittaker said: “We have tried hard to protect all our sites and the colleagues who work in them, but the combined impact of higher employer National Insurance contributions, wage inflation, increases in gambling taxes and wider economic uncertainty has left us with no choice.”

Evoke also closed 200 of its William Hill stores in April of this year for the same reason, while Ladbrokes reduced its estate size in Ireland due to sale talks falling through.