Agenda item

Fixed Odds Betting Terminals

It was moved by Councillor Leigh Bramall, seconded by Councillor Sioned-Mair Richards, that this Council:-

(a)       is concerned that the clustering of betting shops in or close to deprived communities is being driven by increasing revenue from fixed odds betting terminals (FOBT) rather than traditional over the counter betting and recognises that this is an issue facing Sheffield and many other towns and cities across the country;

(b)       believes that this has encouraged betting shop operators to open more than one premises in close proximity to one another;

(c)        is aware of the growing concern of many communities about the detrimental effect this is having on the diversity and character of UK high streets;

(d)       is alarmed that people can stake as much as £100 every 20 seconds on these machines;

(e)       is further concerned that the practice of single staffing in betting shops leaves staff vulnerable and deters them from intervening if customers suffer heavy losses;

(f)        further believes that local authorities should be able to establish a separate planning class for betting shops and that they should be given additional licensing powers to determine the number of FOBT machines within existing and proposed shops and to require that the machines are modified to slow the rate of play and to interrupt when people play for long periods; and

(g)       calls on the Government to put local people before the interests of the betting shop operators and give local authorities the powers they need to respond to concerns from their local communities and stop the proliferation of FOBT machines and betting shops.

Whereupon, it was moved by Councillor Andrew Sangar, seconded by Councillor Shaffaq Mohammed, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by:-

1.         the re-lettering of paragraphs (b) to (f) as new paragraphs (d) to (h) and paragraph (g) as a new paragraph (j); and

2.         the addition of new paragraphs (b), (c) and (i) as follows:-

(b)       believes this is a direct consequence of the Gambling Act 2005, introduced by the last Government, which removed the need for operators to prove unmet demand;

(c)        notes the comments of the Labour MP, Tom Watson, who stated the Labour Party ‘dropped the ball’ over the 2005 Gambling Act;

(i)         therefore welcomes the motion passed by the Liberal Democrat Conference in September 2013 on High Street Gambling, which called for a separate planning use class for betting shops;

On being put to the vote, the amendment was negatived. 

(Note: Councillors Jillian Creasy and Robert Murphy voted for Paragraph (b) and abstained on Paragraphs (c) and (i) of the above amendment and asked for this to be recorded.)

Whereupon, it was moved by Councillor Jillian Creasy, seconded by Councillor Robert Murphy, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by the addition of new paragraphs (h) and (i) as follows:-

(h)       notes the proposal for a separate use class for betting shops made by Hackney Council under the Sustainable Communities Act, which has been supported by 62 other councils, the Greater London Authority and the Local Government Association and which is currently being considered by Government;

(i)         therefore also calls on the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, The Rt. Hon. Eric Pickles MP, to agree to this proposal and directs that a copy of this motion be forwarded to him and to Local Works who are orchestrating this aspect of the campaign to control betting shops.

On being put to the vote, the amendment was carried. 

After a Right of Reply by Councillor Leigh Bramall the original Motion, as amended, was put as a Substantive Motion in the following form and carried:-

RESOLVED:  That this Council:-

(a)       is concerned that the clustering of betting shops in or close to deprived communities is being driven by increasing revenue from fixed odds betting terminals (FOBT) rather than traditional over the counter betting and recognises that this is an issue facing Sheffield and many other towns and cities across the country;

(b)       believes that this has encouraged betting shop operators to open more than one premises in close proximity to one another;

(c)        is aware of the growing concern of many communities about the detrimental effect this is having on the diversity and character of UK high streets;

(d)       is alarmed that people can stake as much as £100 every 20 seconds on these machines;

(e)       is further concerned that the practice of single staffing in betting shops leaves staff vulnerable and deters them from intervening if customers suffer heavy losses;

(f)        further believes that local authorities should be able to establish a separate planning class for betting shops and that they should be given additional licensing powers to determine the number of FOBT machines within existing and proposed shops and to require that the machines are modified to slow the rate of play and to interrupt when people play for long periods;

(g)       calls on the Government to put local people before the interests of the betting shop operators and give local authorities the powers they need to respond to concerns from their local communities and stop the proliferation of FOBT machines and betting shops;

(h)       notes the proposal for a separate use class for betting shops made by Hackney Council under the Sustainable Communities Act, which has been supported by 62 other councils, the Greater London Authority and the Local Government Association and which is currently being considered by Government; and

(i)         therefore also calls on the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, The Rt. Hon. Eric Pickles MP, to agree to this proposal and directs that a copy of this motion be forwarded to him and to Local Works who are orchestrating this aspect of the campaign to control betting shops.