Mayor Andy Burnham has unveiled proposals to tighten regulation of e-cigarette retailers, betting establishments, and disreputable traders on UK shopping streets.
The reforms would require gambling and vaping businesses to secure planning consent prior to establishment, enabling local authorities and residents to influence the character of their commercial areas.
The package forms part of a broader initiative to breathe new life into town centres and restore democratic control to neighbourhoods.
Mr Burnham’s blueprint would give residents influence over which enterprises can operate in their town centres and the visual character of local shopping districts.
Official figures indicate that since 2016, the count of vaping and tobacco outlets has expanded to almost 2,200.
The strategy involves abolishing the Gambling Act’s Aim to Permit provision, which restricts councils’ capacity to reject new betting premises even when facing substantial local opposition.
Adult Gaming Centres, facilities providing round-the-clock access to gaming machines, would fall under identical planning controls, with implementation anticipated early next year.
At present, such enterprises can commence trading without planning consent under the same streamlined process as cafés or fashion boutiques.
Research from the Centre for Social Justice reveals that since 2016, approximately 1,800 pubs and bars have ceased operations nationwide, while specialist tobacconists and vaping retailers have grown to nearly 2,200 outlets.
Mr Burnham highlighted that shopping streets people remember from childhood have been depleted and become unfamiliar following years of deterioration. He noted that the proliferation of vaping stores, betting establishments, and unscrupulous operators has displaced the shops, amenities, and communal facilities that residents urgently need, describing this situation as unacceptable. The administration promised to enhance Britain’s commercial centres, and that commitment is now being fulfilled. Local communities are being granted genuine authority over what establishments appear on their shopping streets. Councillors will receive the necessary powers to restrict undesirable businesses and reinvigorate town centres. Mr Burnham emphasised that commercial districts serve as the vital core of local communities, yet Westminster has remained passive while they have deteriorated. This administration is dedicated to reviving high streets and restoring optimism throughout the nation.
The administration intends to extend maximum Closure Order periods from six to twelve months, providing law enforcement and councils additional time to examine enterprises connected to organised criminal activity.
Housing Secretary Angela Rayner noted that residents recognise when their commercial areas fail to serve them properly, whether concerning vaping shops or betting establishments that have opened without local consultation, deteriorating shopfronts, or the impression that nobody maintains oversight. She said these difficulties have accumulated over extended periods, but the administration will not leave councils and communities without recourse to address the everyday blights disfiguring their shopping streets. For this reason, local representatives are being empowered to reject unsuitable establishments and provided with resources to address problems independently.
The administration also intends to collaborate with councils on enhancing the visual appeal of town centres through clearer standards governing shopfront aesthetics and signage, addressing concerns such as neglected facades and garish illuminated advertisements that diminish the attractiveness of commercial areas.
Councils will receive support over the coming six months to rejuvenate their shopping streets, drawing inspiration from successful initiatives like those implemented in Oswestry’s Cross Street and Keynsham’s main commercial thoroughfare.
The new measures complement other governmental efforts to combat criminal-linked enterprises, including a £30 million initiative aimed at combatting money laundering, tax avoidance, and illicit labour practices.
Additional measures encompass a 20 per cent reduction in business rates for pubs, social clubs, and live music venues throughout England commencing next year.
News Media Association Chief Executive Theo Bamber emphasised that the watchdog function performed by local news publishers and their reporters will prove essential to the devolution agenda’s success. He pointed out that 42 million individuals engage with local news content monthly across print and digital platforms, demonstrating considerable public demand for credible local journalism and its significance as a mechanism for meaningful democratic participation. People throughout the country deserve complete openness from those influencing decisions that impact their daily lives, and local news provides this transparency. No elected representative should evade scrutiny or accountability.