Brent Council’s push for tougher gambling laws gained momentum as Minister Fiona Twycross visited Harlesden to witness first-hand the impact of betting shop clusters.
Brent’s campaign for urgent gambling reform received a significant boost this week as the UK’s Minister for Gambling, Baroness Fiona Twycross, visited the borough to witness first-hand the damaging impact of betting shop clusters in some of the country’s most deprived neighbourhoods.
Baroness Twycross joined Brent East MP Dawn Butler and the Leader of Brent Council, Councillor Muhammed Butt, for a walking tour of Harlesden and Willesden Green High Streets. The visit was part of a wider effort led by Brent to push for major changes to national gambling legislation, with the support of a coalition of 38 local authorities and regional leaders across the UK.
“I’d like to thank Baroness Twycross for engaging with our proposals and taking the time to visit Brent, to see the impact that outdated gambling legislation is having on communities like ours.”
Muhammed Butt, Leader of the Council
Brent is currently home to 81 gambling premises – the second-highest number in any London borough. In Harlesden alone, there are six gambling shops operating along a 600-metre stretch of the high street, with a seventh expected to open later this year. The area has an average household income of just £23,977, nearly half the London average of £47,500, raising serious concerns about the social and economic pressures intensified by the easy access to gambling services.
Local business owners and residents shared their experiences with the Minister, citing a rise in anti-social behaviour and financial hardship associated with the concentration of betting shops. Current licensing rules under the 2005 Gambling Act severely limit the ability of councils to reject applications based on public health or saturation concerns, due to the legislation’s statutory ‘Aim to Permit’ clause.
Councillor Butt said the visit was a vital opportunity to show the real-world consequences of outdated regulation. “I’d like to thank Baroness Twycross for engaging with our proposals and taking the time to visit Brent, to see the impact that outdated gambling legislation is having on communities like ours,” he said.
He added: “Local leaders representing over 12 million people across the country agree that our blueprint for reform is what’s needed to help them take on the betting shops and casinos that are taking over some of our high streets. We would like to work with the Government to see these changes adopted, and will continue to make that case with our growing coalition of partners.”
In April, Brent Council spearheaded a joint letter to Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy calling for a six-point reform plan. Co-signatories included the Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, the Leader of Glasgow City Council, and 17 London boroughs. The reforms proposed include giving councils greater licensing powers, banning gambling advertising, applying tighter planning classifications to adult gaming centres and bingo halls, and introducing local oversight for a statutory gambling harm levy.
Research from the University of Bristol supports Brent’s concerns, finding that betting shops are ten times more likely to be located in deprived towns than in wealthier areas.
During her visit, Baroness Twycross also toured Harlesden Library to see the results of a major refurbishment funded by the Libraries Improvement Fund, which has transformed the site into a modern community hub. The library now houses Brent Start adult education, a community hub, and provides enhanced library services – all under one roof. She also visited the flagship Library at Willesden Green.
The Minister’s dual brief – which covers both gambling policy and libraries – placed her in a unique position to observe how public investment in community infrastructure contrasts starkly with the social costs incurred from unchecked gambling expansion.
Brent’s six-point plan calls for greater local control and a public health-first approach to gambling regulation. It also warns against Government proposals to further liberalise adult gaming centres, which it says could increase access to high-stakes machines and worsen problem gambling rates.
With Baroness Twycross’s visit highlighting the real and present challenges faced by local communities, Brent’s leadership hopes that the Government will now be more willing to consider local voices in reshaping the country’s gambling laws for the 21st century.
