Dear supporters,

In my last update, I was delighted to announce that after a hard fought campaign, an application for a review of the licence granted to Merkur Slots  in January 2021  had been successful! We have the review!

I can now tell you that the application was made in the name of Nesil Caliskan (council leader) which we hope will give it considerable clout. Nesil has put her money where her mouth is and has placed considerable time and effort into the application process as has Councillor Leaver. 

It is now confirmed the review WILL go before the Enfield licensing committee on 16 June 2021

The evidence for the application was provided by our campaign group ( StopPGMerkurslots) with impressive contributions from a range of other interested parties including our MP Bambos Charalambous, who raised the matter in  parliament.

We view this as an impressive victory for local democracy, which also gives a clear message to Merkur that they are NOT WELCOME in Palmers Green. However, although we have achieved the first stage of our demands, it is not GAME OVER yet!

We still have another hurdle to jump in convincing the licensing committee to reject this Merkur Slots AGC as the present Gambling Act 2005 is almost entirely in favour of gambling organisations and not the local communities who oppose them.

This means we have 4 weeks from 21/4 to gather evidence to support our case for rejecting an Adult Gaming Centre with a 24hr licence and we now need interested parties, residents and businesses close enough to be affected by the gambling centre, plus their representatives, to urgently make representations to the licensing committee by 18 May 2021.

 If you live in the N13 and N21 postcodes and particularly in Palmers Green, you will certainly be affected by issues surrounding the opening of a 24hr slots arcade.

As the representatives of interested parties, councillors, and community leaders also have the right to make representations. We have contacted ward councillors in both palmers Green and Winchmore Hill and are confident they will support us by writing to make objections.

Our campaign group will make further representations and intend to contact groups in the community to encourage then to write with their objections. We are hoping to engage with local traders, schools, churches, mental health provisions etc too. If you belong to a community group who will be affected by this premises, we urge you to encourage them to write too. We are planning to leaflet in the Palmers Green area very soon.

In order to validate the representation, the Licensing Team must only accept representations with full names and full addresses. In the published report for the licensing sub-committee hearing, all sensitive data, including names and addresses will be redacted. The only information that may be shared with the licence holder is the road names of those persons making representations.

The representation should be emailed to licensing@enfield.gov.uk. The subject line of the e-mail should contain the address of the premises and quote in the email subject line ‘Review Application for Bingo Premises – Merkur Slots 292-292A Green Lanes’.

I have attached a leaflet which explains exactly what is required. Please note that the email heading should be as above and specific categories to pay attention to are the potential for crime and disorder and the potential for harm to children and vulnerable adults including homeless people, gambling addicts and people with mental health problems.

Please could you share our leaflet immediately, with the email subject line ‘Review Application for Bingo Premises – Merkur Slots 292-292A Green Lanes’ and encourage urgent action from the affected businesses and organisations in The Palmers green area.

I have also included a template letter but urge you to personalise it as much as possible and include some of the fantastic comments you have left on this petition.

If Merkur’s claim made in their recent Barnet application is accurate, this will be the first review they have faced so let’s make every representation count!

Thanks for your continued support in helping us to make it GAME OVER! for Merkur slots.

Wendy Sands (for #stopPGmerkurslots campaign group)

Please stay on our mailing list for further updates.

 ***PLEASE PERSONALISE THE WORDING WHENEVER POSSIBLE***

To the Enfield Council Licensing Committee,

SUBJECT: Review Application for Bingo Premises – Merkur Slots 292-292A Green Lanes

I am writing to object to a 24hr Adult Gaming Centre being opened by Merkur Slots in Palmers Green, High Street, 292-292A Green Lanes, N13 5TW

As a local resident, I feel strongly that the license granted in January this year was morally irresponsible and should be revoked immediately. I object on the ground of: 1) preventing gambling from being a source of crime or disorder, being associated with crime or disorder or being used to support crime.

We do not need another gambling centre in the area. There is already a concentration of four betting shops in close proximity to the proposed new gambling premises. There is a well-known risk that these venues attract money laundering, criminality. These venues encourage behaviour that has a negative effect on individuals, families and communities. People will be able to leave the local pubs at closing time and move to the nearby gaming arcade to start gambling. The anti-social behaviour this venue will attract after hours is a concern, especially when the police are under-resourced. I am also concerned about walking down the high street late at night when gamblers will be going in and out of the premises.

2) protecting children and other vulnerable persons from being harmed or exploited by gambling

This type of venue is totally unsuitable in this area with a large number of growing families and elderly. Two schools sandwich the part of our high street in question and there is a school bus stop right outside this venue.

There is also a McDonalds very close by where youths congregate.  Neon lights and an alluring shop front will attract a child/young adult's attention. I am concerned that children will become normalised to gambling on the high street. Children will be exposed to gamblers - and to the risks of antisocial behaviour linked to betting 24/7 - while en route to school, to the nearby park, playgrounds and local shops.

Palmers Green ward is one of the top 40% of most deprived wards in the country. We witness homelessness and begging. Town centres should not be places where people are encouraged to waste money and get into debt, causing damage to their lives and to their families. There are many more people now struggling financially, making them more vulnerable to such a venue.

Gambling is related to serious mental health issues with a sharp increase in the number of NHS gambling clinics for 13-25-year-olds who are suffering from addiction. Gambling addiction can result in homelessness, suicide, domestic violence and family breakups.

Local residents in Palmers Green have worked with businesses to improve and support the high street, making it a more pleasant environment for the community at a time when local high streets are facing huge challenges. The local community are keen to see the local day and night-time economy thrive, and the opening of a 24-hour Adult Gaming Centre in a prime spot in the high street would be highly detrimental to those efforts.

Please do not allow this venue to open here. I insist the Council has the moral imperative to revoke Merkur's licence and allow our local community to thrive.

Yours

YOUR FULL NAME HERE

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