No more gambling with our high streets - McMahon
Reporter: Andrew Rudkin
Date published: 16 October 2012

The new Paddy Power shop on Henshaw Street, Oldham — making the street Oldham's gambling centre, with five bookmakers and gaming centres within yards of each other
BETTING shops and high-interest loan stores are “leeches” preying on the poor and vulnerable and ruining our high streets, says council leader Jim McMahon.
McMahon is now lobbying the Government to give local authorities more power to stop their proliferation. Oldham town centre has almost 20 bookmakers, amusement arcades and pawnbrokers.
Henshaw Street is the area’s gambling capital with BetFred, Coral, Storeys Gaming Centre, Quicksilver Amusements and the recent addition of Paddy Power, all within yards of each other.
Councillor McMahon, in London tomorrow for the council’s crucial “Invest In Oldham” event, says the council’s hands are currently tied.
Shopping guru Mary Portas’s review suggested there should be a separate planning process for businesses that effectively detract from a town centre, with different criteria for approval.
He said: “It’s a real bee in my bonnet. The Government has messed about with this and have not moved it forward. “We need the Government to give us the tools to sort out our high streets.”
Betting shops are taking over vacant units because their existing classification means they don’t need planning permission or change of use consent.
Councillor McMahon wants to limit the number of betting shops or high-interest loan stores in any one area, but is hampered by current legislation. He believes a “saturation point” rule should be introduced.
“Some of the stores are signing 25-year leases and there is nothing we can do about it. That is wrong.
“Enough is enough. A handful of these stores is more than enough in one area.
“It’s a booming industry with the recession, with people thinking its a quick way into wealth. They are leeches, preying on poor and vulnerable people.
“It’s not just Oldham with this problem, it’s many high streets up and down the country.”
But according to the Association of British Bookmakers, local councils do have the power to decide whether a betting shop can open. The Government has said councils have sufficient powers through planning use classes and local development plans to shape their town centres.
Peter Craske, public relations manager of the Association of British Bookmakers, said: “Like any retailer, betting shops operate where there are customers and in response to customer demand.
“They generate footfall and make a large contribution to the local economy. Betting shops employ 5,000 people across the North West.”
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