New vape shops will require planning permission and councils will get more powers to block new 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 are “unrecognisable”.
He said the plans were “shaped” by a series of BBC News investigations which exposed organised crime on high streets, revealing shops selling illegal cigarettes, vapes, 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.
The proposals come as the prime minister embarks on a tour of the UK, with Downing Street saying he will be in “listening mode” during his visits as he works on a “10-year plan to bring back hope”.
The plans announced by the government include:
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Changes to planning law which would mean every new shop selling e-cigarettes, or vapes, would need to apply to their local council for permission to open (England only)
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Tightening the definition of a vape shop to prevent businesses avoiding the rules by describing themselves as a general convenience store or retailer (England only)
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Scrapping a rule known as “aim to permit”, which currently restricts councils’ ability to refuse new betting shops and 24-hour slot machine shops (Great Britain-wide)
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Requiring planning permission for new adult gaming centres, which offer 24-hour access to gambling machines (England only)
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New powers to extend closure orders for mini-marts and vape shops found to be selling illegal tobacco for up to twelve months, something previously proposed by former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer (England and Wales)
The National Crime Agency (NCA) estimates that at least £1bn of criminal cash is laundered through high street stores in the UK each year through businesses connected to the sale of fake goods, tax evasion, illegal working and illegal drug supply.
Burnham told the BBC that the changes would make it “easier for police to close a vape shop and have it closed for longer”.
He said: “At the same time we’re changing the planning regime… which should stop the proliferation of vape shops on our high streets.”
The prime minister added that Operation Vulcan in Cheetham Hill, Greater Manchester, cleared the area of counterfeits and crime and “proved” what could be achieved.
“When I look at police reform across England, I will be asking for a similar approach to be taken,” he said. “I want the strongest possible neighbourhood policing, with all agencies involved, to rip out criminal behaviour that is pulling places down.”
Burnham said he did not accept the decline of the high street as “inevitable”.
“I don’t see why anywhere should have to accept they have empty shops, vape shops and the challenges that come with that.”
Housing Secretary Angela Rayner told BBC Breakfast on Tuesday that many people were frustrated at vape and gambling outlets “popping up even near schools and some of them are linked to illegal activity and crime”.
