Enfield North MP Feryal Clark wants the government to give local councils more power to stop “harmful” gambling venues, reports James Cracknell

Enfield North MP Feryal Clark address the House of Commons during the gambling debate this week

Enfield North MP Feryal Clark has slammed current laws which allow gambling firms to “cluster” in deprived areas and has called on the Labour government to act to stop it happening.

During a debate in the House of Commons called this week by her Labour colleague, Brent East MP Dawn Butler, Clark said there were now 30 gambling venues in her Enfield North constituency and that the existing Gambling Act’s “aim to permit” principle was often preventing councils from stopping them spreading.

The Gambling Act was introduced in 2005 under the Labour government of Tony Blair.

Earlier this week the Dispatch reported on the concerns raised by a community group in Angel Edmonton – which now has eight gambling venues – that firms were “preying” on people in poor areas specifically. Half of the venues along Fore Street are adult gaming centres (AGCs), which open for 24 hours and use legal loopholes to operate as bingo halls, despite containing large numbers of high-stakes slot machines.

Speaking during the parliamentary debate on gambling reform, Clark highlighted the impact on Enfield’s high streets, where residents have repeatedly raised concerns about the growing number of betting shops and AGCs. She argued that the current law “stacks the deck against local communities” by forcing councils to approve new gambling premises even where there is strong local opposition.

Clark MP told parliament: “The harms of gambling are evident and were well set out by my honourable friend [Butler]. Gambling addiction means missed birthdays, unpaid bills, broken relationships, families torn apart and lives quietly falling to piece behind closed doors, while communities deal with the consequences.

“At the heart of this debate lies a simple but fundamental question: who should decide what happens on our high streets — local communities and their elected representatives, or gambling companies pursuing huge commercial gain? Right now, the answer is not local communities.

“Under the Gambling Act, councils are legally required to err on the side of approval when considering applications for betting shops and 24-hour slot machine venues, even when there is clear local opposition, an area is already saturated or harm is obvious. That is not localism, it is not prevention and it is certainly not protection.

“If councils do not follow that instruction to err on the side of approval, they face legal challenge, costly appeals and the threat of court costs—that money should be spent on local services, not on defending the indefensible.

“Residents of my Enfield North constituency have watched their high streets change not because of community demand, but because the law makes it almost impossible for councils to say no to new gambling premises. There are now 30 gambling premises across my constituency. Such venues are designed to drain more deprived communities, and the law still forces councils to approve them.

“That is indefensible, and the government must act to end it now.”

On Monday (5th) Butler published an open letter to the government on the issue, signed by 280 people, many of whom are councillors in London.

Ian Murray, the government’s minister for creative industries, responded to the points made by Butler, Clark and several other MPs during the debate yesterday (Thursday 8th). He acknowledged that “harmful gambling can wreck the lives of individuals” and explained how the government wanted to devolve more power to local authorities to restrict activities they see as harmful.

He said: “The government want local authorities to feel empowered to make data-driven decisions that are in their communities’ best interests. We want them to feel able to curate healthy and vibrant spaces that reflect the needs of their local communities.

“As part of our ‘Pride in Place’ strategy to strengthen local authority influence over the location and density of outlets, we have confirmed that we will introduce cumulative impact assessments when parliamentary time allows. Cumulative impact assessments will empower local authorities to take data-driven decisions on premises licences, particularly in areas identified as vulnerable to gambling harms. We have heard a lot about where those gambling harms are.

“It is really important that ‘aim to permit’ applies also to licensing applications. Planning policies, including local plans, offer councils additional tools to influence the number of gambling premises in their areas. With local plans, the ‘aim to permit’, the cumulative impact assessments and the ability to enforce and set strict conditions, local authorities have a suite of powers to prevent if they so wish and make their high streets the way they want them to be.

“In conclusion, the government want to ensure that local authorities have the tools and resources they need to shape their local areas in line with their community’s best interests. That is a government commitment and a prime ministerial commitment from the dispatch box.

“Our plans to introduce cumulative impact assessments are an important part of that commitment, and we will bring them forward as soon as a legislative vehicle is available.”

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