Minister discusses Brent's gambling reform proposals on visit to Harlesden

The UK’s Minister for Gambling, Baroness Fiona Twycross, visited Brent on Monday (12 May) to see the impact clusters of gambling shops are having in deprived areas like Harlesden.

A coalition of 38 local authorities and mayors, led by Brent Council, is urging the Government to give councils and combined authorities more powers to refuse gambling premise license applications that threaten the community’s welfare and safety.

During her visit, Baroness Twycross walked along Harlesden and Willesden Green High Streets with Brent East MP Dawn Butler and the Leader of Brent Council, Cllr Muhammed Butt.

Brent politicians showed the Minister the high density of gambling premises in Harlesden (six, along a 600-metre stretch, with a seventh to follow later this year) and heard concerns from residents and business owners in an area with an average household income of £23,977 per year – significantly below the London average of £47,500.

Local leaders talked through Brent’s six proposed reforms to the Gambling Act (2005) – which cover planning, licensing, advertising and local control.

Brent has the second-highest number of betting premises out of all the London boroughs with 81 shops, which includes betting shops, bingo halls, and adult gaming centres*. Within the current legislation, the ‘Aim to Permit’ statutory duty means that councils are not able to reject a premise license solely on public health grounds, no matter the number of public objections.

Councillor Muhammed Butt, Leader of Brent Council said:

“I’d like to thank Baroness Twycross for engaging with our proposals and taking the time to visit Brent, to see the impact that outdated gambling legislation is having on communities like ours.

“Local leaders representing over 12 million people up and down the country agree that our blueprint for reform is what’s needed to help them to take on the betting shops and casinos that are taking over some of our high streets.

“We would like to work with the Government to see these changes adopted, and will continue to make that case with our growing coalition of partners.”

In April, a group of 38 councils and combined authorities – including 17 London boroughs, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, and the Leader of Glasgow Council – joined Brent in writing to Lisa Nandy, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport calling for six steps to reform and renew the Gambling Act.

While in Brent, Baroness Twycross, who also has ministerial responsibility for libraries, visited Harlesden Library to see how funding from the Libraries Improvement Fund has completely transformed and modernised the space - creating a vibrant, multi-purpose hub that now brings together the library, Brent Start, and the Community Hub under one roof. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport recently highlighted how local residents are benefitting from the project, which was funded by the Arts Council. She also visited The Library at Willesden Green during her visit.

Notes to editor

*This figure outnumbers essential services such as supermarkets, banks, job centres and GP surgeries.

A study from Bristol University found that betting shops were 10 times more likely to be found in deprived towns than affluent areas.
Brent’s six-point plan includes:

1. Reform the 'Aim to Permit' Policy: Grant local authorities the power to reject premise license applications that threaten the community’s welfare and safety.

2. Categorisation of premises: Ensure that the incoming National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) places Bingo Halls and Adult Gaming Centres in the same planning category as bookmakers, so they cannot bypass caps by splitting premises.

3. Planning applications: Allow councils to consider local household debt levels when evaluating planning applications for high street casinos, to prevent the proliferation of gambling dens in close proximity to schools, in the same way councils can limit junk food establishments in these areas.

4. Statutory levy for gambling harm prevention: Administer the statutory levy on gambling operators for research, education, and treatment through an independent public body, further devolving funding to local health authorities.

5. Overhaul of gambling advertising: Prohibit gambling advertising, promotion, and sponsorship to prevent exposure, especially to children and young people.

6. Stop progress on proposals to liberalise adult gaming centres: Follow the recommendations of the Gambling Survey for Great Britain, which underlines the need for a review of spin speed and excess staking levels on harmful B3 machines.