Burnham to give councils more powers to block vape and betting shops

Two vape shops trading next door to each other on Fargate in Sheffield. Photograph: Katy Blackwood/Alamy Stock Photo/Alamy Live News. View image in fullscreen Two vape shops trading next door to each other on Fargate in Sheffield. Photograph: Katy Blackwood/Alamy Stock Photo/Alamy Live News. Burnham to give councils more powers to block vape and betting shops Vape shops in England and Wales to need planning permission while betting shop law change will also apply in Scotland Councils are to be given powers to stop betting and vape shops taking over their high streets under new plans announced . Local authorities will be able to reject new betting shops and adult gaming centres, while vape shops will be subject to planning permission under plans Downing Street said could be in place from the start of next year. Burnham is promising to scrap the “aim to permit” rule in the Gambling Act 2005, which in effect requires councils to allow new gambling premises where applications meet licensing requirements. This could mark a big shift from changes introduced “aim to permit rule”. As mayor of Greater Manchester, Burnham called on Starmer to abolish the rule in January, alongside almost 300 other politicians and campaigners. Burnham said communities should have much more control over their high streets, where traditional shops, pubs and other services have disappeared while vape and gambling shops have expanded. Burnham is attempting to make the first weeks of his prime ministership about tangible changes people can see in their everyday lives. A No 10 source said the government was determined to crack down on vape and betting shops because they were two of the most visible signs of decline on high streets, and local people were genuinely concerned. A fast-tracked consultation on the new measures would take six weeks, with the aim of having the measures in place 2027. “Local people will actually have more of an input into whether or not those shops should open in the first place, giving them a proper say about how their high streets should look,” they said. The move comes after research suggested Labour would be “washed away in a tide of discontent” at the next general election unless it tackled the decline of Britain’s high streets. Prof Will Jennings, who led the University of Southampton research, said Burnham’s targeting of vape and betting shops was “an important first step”. With nearly one in three retail sales in the UK now online, it was clear that the policy would “not solve everything”, he said. “But it is speaking to some real area of concern that impacts how people view their local area.” Vape shops currently fall into the same planning category as shops, cafes and banks, meaning they can open without needing a new planning application.