Tuesday, January 18, 2011

New e-Petition to lobby Parliament re Betting Shops

A petition against Betfred getting a license to operate at 93-95 Deptford High Street (ex-Halifax) has gone to Lewisham's Licensing Team, along with an objection. It had 55 signatures, 47 of which were from businesses and their staff operating directly in the vicinity (37 different high street addresses in all), the remaining being market traders and residents.

This petition was one of two circulating. The other had well over 100 signatures. However, some of those signatures will not count since the objectors do not 'reside' in the vicinity and the petition was attached to an objection based on the grounds that there are already too many betting shops, and therefore, by law, cannot be accepted. Nevertheless it is an indication of how everyone feels. Unfortunately, too, a petition only counts as 'one' objection. The hearing before the Licensing Committee at which objections may be heard will possibly be held in early February.

We could keep the petition (based on the grounds that gambling attracts and is associated with crime and disorder) going beyond the Licensing Objection deadline (Wednesday), and this can be accepted nearer the date of the hearing in February if it is supplementary to an already existing objection. *

But because of the stated position of Lewisham council (see previous post) and, indeed, of other London boroughs and councils across the country, it is unlikely to make any difference to the outcome. It appears that even if someone got knifed in Paddy Power tomorrow, or loads of people got shot dead in an armed robbery at Coral, it would make no difference to the fact that Lewisham won't turn down the licence because Betfred would appeal and appeal until they get their way. The council say they cannot afford to fight them.

A change in the law is required. 

Therefore we have started a NEW e-Petition to lobby Parliament to amend the 2005 Gambling Act to give local authorities greater powers to refuse permission to the betting chains. We need this to go viral across the country, so if you have any friends and relations in other parts of the UK, please tell them about it.

Stop Betting Shops Taking Over Our High Streets
Sign the petition now at www.gopetition.com/petition/42066.html

This is intended to be a cross-party campaign, but was inspired by the reply Diane Abbot MP got from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport who told her that they were unconvinced the law needed changing. Ken Livingstone will also hopefully become more vocal about the problem once he gets his campaign for Mayor underway (his campaign manager is David Lammy MP, who like Abbott, has been lobbying on this problem for some time).

We hope our own council and MP will speak out in due course.

*More news on this shortly...OH! Here it is!


No to Betfred in Deptford High Street
Sign the petition now at www.gopetition.com/petition/42164.html


TWO PETITIONS – ONE AIM!

2 comments:

  1. Just been past Ladbrokes. 4 blokes outside, 3 black,one white. The white guy caught my eye and I thought he said "Do you wanna come for some coffee?". I stopped and said "Are you inviting me for coffee?" and they all laughed and he reached inside his jacket and brought out a jar of Nescafe and said "No I was asking if you wanted to buy some coffee"...I said no thanks. What's a bloke doing trying to sell coffee on the high street? Guessing he probably just stole it from a shop!

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