UK plans vape shop crackdown to give towns 'power to turn things around'

A crackdown on the setting up of new betting and vape shops in the UK is to give “local communities the power to turn things around”, Britain’s prime minister has said.

Andy Burnham visited Ilkeston in Derbyshire on Tuesday, where he said high streets “have been hollowed out, particularly in former industrial areas”.

He announced changes to planning policy, so retailers who want to set up shop selling e-cigarettes will need to ask their local council for permission.

Vape shops sit in a planning category known as Class E, a broad category covering shops, cafes and banks.

By putting vape shops into their own “sui generis” category, on which the British government will consult, it is thought every plan to set up a vape shop would need to go through the approvals process.

Adult gaming centres will also be put into their own “sui generis” category, giving town halls the power to block new arcades.

The UK government has additionally proposed reforming the Gambling Act 2005’s “aim to permit” rule, which requires councils to generally look favourably on premises licence applications if they meet the expectations set out by the Gambling Commission.

“There’s a real concern across the country – I felt it in the Makerfield by-election – about high streets that have been hollowed out, particularly in former industrial areas, that have just been in decline for a long time,” Burnham told reporters.

“And I want to give local communities the power to turn things around.

“And that means clamping down on some of the businesses that cause harm in communities and then supporting those that bring life back to our high street.

“So, we are announcing big changes today to give communities more control over planning when it comes to vape shops, adult gaming centres, and also the proliferation of betting shops, by removing the aim to permit.”

Burnham was joined in Ilkeston, a former coalmining and ironmaking town, by cabinet minister Angela Rayner.

“Whether it’s the vape shop, or betting shops that’s opened with no say from locals, the shopfront that’s seen better days, or the sense that nobody’s in control,” the she said.

“These problems have built up over years, but this government won’t leave councils and communities powerless to crack down on everyday eyesores that blight our high streets.”

Reform UK Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick said the reforms would work only “if the Government and local councils make it attractive for the right kind of shops to open in their place”, by lowering the tax burden.

Burnham’s reforms have also attracted opposition from the UK’s Betting and Gaming Council.

A spokesperson for the industry body said: “We support tough action against criminal operators and agree local people should have a proper say over their high streets. But the suggestion that betting shops are spreading unchecked is simply wrong.

“Betting shop numbers have fallen by over a third since 2019. Around 3,000 shops have closed and over 15,000 jobs have already been lost.

“It is wrong to lump highly regulated, licensed betting shops together with rogue or criminal businesses. Betting shops still support 37,500 jobs, bring vital footfall to neighbouring businesses and, for many customers, are valued community hubs.”

Gillian Golden, chief executive of the Independent British Vape Trade Association, said: “Rogue vape traders on the high street have been a blight on the legitimate sector, so we welcome measures such as extending closure orders on dodgy shops.

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“For too long the media have conflated organised criminal networks with law-abiding vape businesses, when in fact these criminals just see illicit vapes as a commodity in the same way as illicit tobacco or counterfeit goods. That has damaged the public’s understanding of our sector.