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The government has introduced new measures aimed at revitalising high streets, including requirements for new vape shops to obtain planning permission and granting councils additional authority to restrict betting shops. Prime Minister Andy Burnham conveyed concern over the significant decline of town centres, saying they have been “hollowed out” over decades and that many high streets have become “unrecognisable” to local communities.
Investigations by BBC News have uncovered widespread organised crime operating within high streets across the UK, identifying shops involved in the sale of illegal cigarettes, vapes, cannabis, and cocaine, as well as criminal activity such as illegal employment and suspected money laundering. While these government proposals seek to empower local authorities to better manage businesses on their high streets, critics, including the Conservative party and Reform UK, argue that without measures such as tax relief for legitimate small businesses, the plan could result in more vacant stores.
Among the new government initiatives are changes to planning laws requiring vape retailers to seek council approval before opening, a stricter definition of vape shops to prevent businesses from circumventing regulations by labelling themselves as convenience stores, and the abolition of the “aim to permit” rule that currently limits councils’ ability to refuse betting shops and slot machine outlets. Additionally, planning permission will become necessary for new adult gaming centres, and councils will be granted powers to extend closure orders on shops found selling illegal tobacco for up to a year. The National Crime Agency estimates that illicit activity involving high street stores leads to at least £1 billion laundered annually through these outlets.
Responses to the plan have varied among political parties and interest groups. The Conservative shadow communities secretary, Sir James Cleverly, acknowledged the problem of “rogue operators” on high streets but pointed out that previous increases in business rates have left many units empty. The Liberal Democrats’ home affairs spokesman, Max Wilkinson, emphasized the need for stronger powers to “properly crack down on cowboy vape shops” and called for the scrapping of the business rates system. Reform UK’s economy spokesman Robert Jenrick argued that without addressing taxes and business rates, the proposals risk exacerbating the problem of vacant shops. Similarly, the Green Party criticized the plans as insufficient and urged the introduction of rent controls for small businesses.
Industry and local government voices have also weighed in, with the Betting and Gaming Council expressing support for tougher action against criminal operators and local communities having a greater say in high street decisions, while disputing claims that betting shops are proliferating unchecked. Councillor Eamonn O’Brien, chair of the Local Government Association, welcomed the increased influence councils and communities will have over local retail landscapes. Meanwhile, ongoing BBC investigations continue to expose serious crime linked to high street shops, prompting a multi-agency response from police, the National Crime Agency, Immigration Enforcement, and HM Revenue & Customs. These efforts have already led to raids and closures of problematic premises, alongside a £30 million government enforcement operation aimed at combating money laundering, tax evasion, and illegal employment in the sector
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