Cllr Peray Ahmet added her name alongside other Leaders and Mayors in signing an open letter to Lisa Nandy MP, Secretary of State for Culture, Media & Sport.
Haringey Council have made it clear that urgent reforms are needed to the Gambling Act 2005. The Act in its current form risks undermining the health of our local communities and high streets, and strips power away from residents and local decision makers.
The current statutory ‘Aim to Permit’ duty severely limits a council’s ability to prevent the opening of additional gambling venues, even when the community is unequivocally against it.
Leader of the Council, Cllr Peray Ahmet, said
“We are pleased to join Brent’s campaign to lobby the UK government to do more to allow local authorities to have more control over their own areas.
“We know that residents have had enough of gambling premises on their high streets but have been unable to act on them due to the national laws in place.
“The fact that so many leaders across the country are joining together shows the strong feeling across a number of communities, and we hope to bring about a big change.”
In January of this year, we were the first council in the country to petition the government to bring in a national ban on gambling ads.
There are as many as 8,000 people experiencing gambling harms in Haringey. Another 25,000 people are affected more widely by these harms, for example family and friends.
If you are experiencing gambling harms, take a look at our webpages.
