Andy Burnham declares conflict on dodgy barber and vape retailers in excessive road crackdown
The Prime Minister has vowed to hand power back to local communities by forcing e-cig outlets and gambling venues to get planning permission before opening
Andy Burnham(Image: Getty)
Andy Burnham has declared war on soulless vape shops, betting firms and rogue businesses which have “hollowed out” Britain’s high streets. The Prime Minister has vowed to hand power back to local communities by forcing e-cig outlets and gambling venues to get planning permission before opening.
He will also make it easier for councils to block new betting shops under a shake-up of laws. The crackdown comes after Britain lost nearly 1,800 pubs and bars while almost 2,200 vape and tobacco shops sprang up across the country since 2016, according to the Centre for Social Justice.
Ministers say too many town centres have become overrun with businesses locals never wanted. Police and councils will also get tougher powers to shut rogue businesses linked to organised crime.
He’s made the announcement about British high streets(Image: In Pictures via Getty Images)
Closure orders will double from six months to a year to stop illegal vape shops, dodgy barber shops and other suspect premises reopening while investigations continue.
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.”
He’s gone to war on the issue(Image: Getty Images)
But the Betting and Gaming Council 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.
“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.”
It will affect vape shops
Housing Secretary Angela Rayner said the “problems have built up over years”. She pledged the government “won’t leave councils and communities powerless to crackdown on everyday eyesores that blight our high streets.”
Joshua Nicholson, of the Centre for Social Justice, welcomed the move, claiming that Britain’s high streets have been “hijacked by a growing number of dodgy vape shops, mini marts, and barbers”.
Eamonn O’Brien, chairman of the Local Government Association, said: “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 in to empty premises.”
