Dear Supporters,
If you’re wondering why there’s been no update for a while, it’s because I’ve been involved in writing and encouraging others to write to MPs who may have some say in influencing decisions on gambling premises.
Our MP has been fact finding by asking questions of Enfield Council and of the House of Commons and is waiting for a reply to his letter to Oliver Dowden MP
I’ve also been meeting with others in the campaign group StopPGmerkurslots
And now…..
I’m very pleased to announce amazing news!
The campaign group met with local councillors this week also our MP Bambos Charalambous and we managed to get the premises license officers to agree to a review! This is what we have been petitioning for!
This means we have 4 weeks to gather evidence to support our case for rejecting an Adult Gaming Centre with a 24hr licence.
However, this will not be easy as the present Gambling Act 2005 is almost entirely in favour of gambling organisations and not the local communities who oppose them.
You might remember that Enfield’s council Leader, Nesil Caliskan, wrote to Palmers Green residents explaining how difficult it was to object to an application of this kind, because of the current law.
“Due to national law, councils do not have effective powers to limit the number of gambling premises in the area.”
To explain further here is an extract from a letter to constituents from Bambos Charalambous
The Gambling Commission is the national body which regulates gambling and issues licences to operators; their guidance to Local Authorities makes it clear that there is an “aim to permit” gambling premises and the Local Authority “should not comment on whether there is demand for gambling premises”.
The July 2020 House of Lords Committee report on gambling harm recommended increasing the powers of local authorities in relation to the growth of gambling premises. It noted that the “liberalisation of the regulation of gambling has led to an increased presence of gambling services on the high street” with the gambling industry driving that demand. I support their recommendation to increase the powers of Local Authorities to limit the growth of gambling premises in an area, for example on the basis of objections from the local community and considerations of the character of the locality, in line with the process for licensing premises for alcohol sale.
Local high streets have faced unprecedented challenges during the last year and communities want to see the economy in their local areas thrive again. I do not believe that a 24 hour Adult Gaming Centre will bring any positive benefits to the local economy. Giving Local Authorities the power to make decisions based on local needs is critical in ensuring gambling premises cannot dominate our high streets.
In December 2020 the Government stated that they would seek the views of licensing and local authorities on changes they would like to see to their powers through the Gambling Act Review.
The Gambling Act Review is open for submissions until midnight on 31 March 2021.
Members of the public can make submissions to this Review, which will then be considered along with representations made by others, including the gambling industry.
Please see the below link for information on making a submission.
All submissions must be in document format (Word or PDF) which should be attached to an email and sent to: gamblingactreview@dcms.gov.uk
This is your way of influencing a change in legislation to enable Local Authorities to take local issues into account when making decisions on gambling premises.
In addition to your own personal views on gambling which you wish to highlight to the review, you could also consider including some of the following key points:
When considering applications from gambling operators Local Authorities should have the power to consider what is good for the community as a whole, in line with the process for licensing of premises for the sale of alcohol;
Licensing and Local Authorities should have increased powers to refuse applications from gambling operators to open gambling premises and should be able to take into account:
· That an area already has a concentration of gambling premises;
· The general character of the location and the use of nearby buildings;
· Strength of opposition in the local community.
· That it is the role of locally and democratically elected Councillors to make decisions in the interests of the local community and local economy;
· The interests of gambling operators should not be the only significant factor in where gambling premises are located.
I have included this information to help you formulate a response to the gambling commission review and I urge you to do so NOW! Time is running out and we have little more than a week to let the government know we want the law changed.
Please note All submissions must be in document format (Word or PDF) which should be attached to an email and sent to: gamblingactreview@dcms.gov.uk
I know I have asked you to write before but this is equally if not more important now as we may have a chance to change the law. I have included a template letter to help the process.
You should also write to Carolyn Harris MP carolyn.harris.mp@parliament.uk
who is leading the cross party review of the present Gambling Act 2005 They will also feed into the Gambling commission review which finishes on the 31st March
A template letter is reproduced below.
Dear Carolyn Harris
I am extremely concerned that a 24hr Adult Gaming Centre is about to open in my local high street, in Palmers Green, Enfield, a London suburb. Despite massive opposition and a 4000+ signature petition, our council (which is also opposed) has little power to refuse, revoke or even review this license which is granted in perpetuity.
Please do all you can to insist that the current law is changed to give local authorities the power to limit the number of gambling premises in any area. Also to be able to take note of local objections when deciding whether to approve such a license.
The current law (Gambling Act 2005) is weighted far too heavily in favour of gambling organisations rather than the local authorities and residents who will be affected the increased Anti-Social Behaviour, the attraction of the venue to vulnerable people (including minors) and the negative impact of such an establishment on efforts to regenerate high streets in future.
The law must be changed as soon as possible to stop these 24hr slot machine arcades opening all over the country and particularly in our own area.
I hope you will agree this is a bad piece of legislation and do everything in your power to change it.
Yours
We have set up a Facebook page: Stop Palmers Green Merkur Slots and a twitter account @StopPGslots so you can leave comments and catch up with the latest news.
I and the rest of the campaign group are very, very grateful for all your signatures which not only helped to pressure the council into action but helped to give our campaign prominence on social media and online news. Journalists from national newspapers have been in contact with and us and we are hoping to see articles very soon in both the Mirror and The Guardian.
Although we have achieved the first stage of our demands, we still have a way to go in totally rejecting this Merkur Slots AGC so we are keeping the petition going for the moment and continuing to aim for 5000 signatures. So, please do what you have done so admirably so far: SHARE and continue to share!
Thank you, supporters for all you have done!
Wendy Sands