Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether Cheshire East Council will be eligible to access support from the High Street Crime Unit in future, in the context of its ongoing multi-agency enforcement activity against organised crime, illicit tobacco and vape sales, and rogue high street businesses.

Through Operation Machinize, which is led by the National Crime Agency in conjunction with the National Police Chiefs’ Council, funding is available to all local authorities and law enforcement agencies to support operational activity against money laundering and associated serious and organised criminality on the High Street. Funding decisions are an operational matter for the NCA.

Since March 2025 Operation Machinize, has led to over 3,000 high street premises suspected of criminality having been visited and nearly 1,000 individuals arrested.

Separately, the High Street Organised Crime Unit, based in the Home Office, has been established to develop a long-term strategic response to tackle money laundering and associated criminality on the High Street. The unit is responsible for identifying what more is needed – from stronger powers to better coordination – to stop this criminal activity from happening in the first place.