Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of betting shops on town centre vitality.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Some high streets have become increasingly dominated by certain types of premises – including gambling establishments – which don’t always meet the needs of their communities. According to the Gambling Commission, the number of adult gaming centres (AGCs) rose by 7% between 2022 and 2024, with additional data showing that AGCs are most concentrated in areas of higher deprivation.
My Department will take action to tackle the number of gambling premises in vulnerable areas by introducing Cumulative Impact Assessments in gambling licensing when parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to give councils additional planning powers to help tackle unwanted uses such as barbers, vape shops and betting shops.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department has no current plans to amend local planning authorities’ powers along the lines suggested.
The government is empowering communities to curate healthy, vibrant public spaces through the Pride in Place Strategy.
We have committed to introduce Cumulative Impact Assessments in respect of gambling licensing which will allow councils to take data-driven decisions on premises licences, particularly in areas that have been identified as being vulnerable to gambling-related harm.
Asked by: Louie French (Conservative - Old Bexley and Sidcup)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the answer of 3 November to question 84965 on Gambling, what assessment she has made of the accuracy of the statistical analysis in the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities' report entitled The economic and social cost of harms associated with gambling in England published on 11 January 2023; and if she will exclude it from use within her Department.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The report that the Honourable Member refers to estimates the economic and social costs of gambling-related harm and provides a useful addition to our evidence base. As we have previously set out in a number of gambling-related impact assessments, we recognise that the report has limitations relating to both data availability and methodology, which means that the cost estimates may be under- or over-estimating the true cost of harm. This is true of many reports that try to estimate the cost of harm. However, we continue to consider this report in the context of the wider evidence base, and as such have no plans to exclude it from use in the Department.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 4 November 2025 to Question 85794 on Shops: Planning Permission, whether powers to block unwanted shops would apply to shops that are not otherwise long-term empty.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government is introducing a number of powers to block unwanted shops that are not otherwise long-term empty.
The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will provide powers for ministers to introduce a licensing scheme for the retail sale of tobacco, vaping, and nicotine products to support legitimate businesses. The scheme will be subject to consultation by the Department of Health and Social Care before regulations are introduced.
Furthermore, we will introduce Cumulative Impact Assessments in gambling licensing, when parliamentary time allows. This will give councils greater control over the number of gambling outlets in their areas, helping to ensure a healthy mix of premises on their high streets.
Wider powers, such as streamlined compulsory purchase orders and community right to buy, will support local control and curation of high streets.
Asked by: Alex Ballinger (Labour - Halesowen)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she will assess the potential merits of reviewing the aim to permit duty under the Gambling Act 2005 to strengthen the ability of local authorities to limit gambling harms.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Local authorities are vital partners in the regulation of gambling and have a range of powers to influence the operation of gambling premises and limit gambling harm. These include site inspections, restrictions on opening hours, and suspending or revoking a gambling premises licence if premises are found to be non-complaint with the licensing objectives.
While the Government does not have any plans to review the ‘aim to permit’ provision in the Gambling Act at this time, we recognise that some authorities do not always feel that the tools at their disposal are fully effective in shaping local areas. As outlined in the Pride in Place Strategy, the Government will boost local authorities’ existing powers to influence the location and density of gambling outlets by introducing Cumulative Impact Assessments, when parliamentary time allows. This will give licensing authorities powers to determine whether the cumulative impact of the number or density of gambling premises in a local area undermines the licensing objectives, particularly in areas that have been identified as vulnerable to gambling-related harms.
Asked by: Alex Ballinger (Labour - Halesowen)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of adult gaming centres on trends in the level of gambling harms in deprived areas .
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
We do not hold official data on the relationship between deprivation and participation in gambling at adult gaming centres.
As part of the Pride in Place Strategy, published on 25 September, the Government reaffirmed its commitment to introducing cumulative impact assessments (CIAs) for gambling licensing when parliamentary time allows. The introduction of CIAs, alongside the broad range of powers already available to local authorities, will enable local authorities across England to take data-driven decisions on premises licences, particularly areas identified as vulnerable to gambling-related harms. It will allow authorities to take account of a range of factors, including deprivation, when making licensing decisions. This will empower local authorities to better shape their streets and neighbourhoods.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraph 97 of his policy paper entitled Pride in Place Strategy, published on 25 September 2025, whether the Cumulative Impact Assessments process will regulate existing betting premises.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Cumulative Impact Assessments will give local authorities powers to determine whether the cumulative impact of the number or density of gambling premises in a local area undermines the licensing objectives, particularly in areas that have been identified as vulnerable to gambling-related harms. We will introduce Cumulative Impact Assessments when parliamentary time allows.
While we expect that this would apply to new premises seeking a gambling licence or variations of existing licences, local authorities do already have a number of tools to manage existing betting premises, such as site inspections, restrictions on opening hours and suspending or revoking a gambling premises licence if premises are found to be non-complaint with the licensing objectives.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to introduce planning restrictions on the opening of (a) betting shops, (b) vaping shops and (c) Turkish barbers.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department currently has no plans to introduce such restrictions.
An application for planning permission will always be required for an additional betting office.
In the Pride in Place Strategy, we committed to introduce Cumulative Impact Assessments in gambling licensing, which will allow councils to take data-driven decisions on premises licences, particularly in areas that have been identified as being vulnerable to gambling-related harm.
Furthermore, the Tobacco and Vapes Bill will provide powers for ministers in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland to introduce a licensing scheme for the retail sale of tobacco, vaping, and nicotine products.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what additional powers the English Devolution White Paper will provide to local authorities to prevent the proliferation of Adult Gaming Centres on high streets.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
This government is considering how to best ensure that local authorities have the right tools and powers to manage the location and density of gambling outlets in their areas. In line with the commitments made in the Gambling White Paper, we will introduce Cumulative Impact Assessments in gambling licensing, when Parliamentary time allows. This will allow local authorities to take data-driven decisions on premises licences, particularly in areas that have been identified as being vulnerable to gambling-related harm. This will give local authorities greater control over the number of gambling outlets in their areas, helping to ensure a healthy mix of premises on their high streets.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to prevent the proliferation of Adult Gaming Centres on high streets.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
This government is considering how to best ensure that local authorities have the right tools and powers to manage the location and density of gambling outlets in their areas. In line with the commitments made in the Gambling White Paper, we will introduce Cumulative Impact Assessments in gambling licensing, when Parliamentary time allows. This will allow local authorities to take data-driven decisions on premises licences, particularly in areas that have been identified as being vulnerable to gambling-related harm. This will give local authorities greater control over the number of gambling outlets in their areas, helping to ensure a healthy mix of premises on their high streets.