Councils to get more powers to stop vape and betting shops, PM announces
The UK government has announced new planning powers for councils to restrict the opening of vape shops and betting centers on high streets. These measures aim to combat urban decline and address concerns regarding illegal activities like the sale of illicit tobacco.
Why it matters
This represents a significant shift in local governance, granting authorities more control over the commercial composition of town centers to improve public safety and community health.
Image source, Bloomberg via Getty Images By Ed Thomas , UK editor , Rebecca Wearn and Patrick Clahane Published 11 minutes ago New vape shops will require planning permission and councils will get more powers to stop betting shops, under government plans aimed at improving high streets.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said town centres had been "hollowed out" by decades of decline and "for many people, the high streets they grew up with have become unrecognisable".
BBC News has exposed organised crime on high streets across the country, revealing shops selling illegal cigarettes and vapes, selling cannabis and cocaine, enabling illegal working and suspected money-laundering.
The Conservatives and Reform said the proposals would lead to "more empty" shops, without tax relief for other small businesses.
Burnham said the measures will give councils more power to control what businesses open in town centres.
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