How much gambling do you want in your high street? Are you happy with all the betting shops, the problems they cause, the effect on your environment?

It’s worth asking because for years, local councils have been expected to say yes to new gambling venues, even when communities made clear they did not want them. Now, under new rules announced on Monday, that’s about to change. And about time.

Speaking to local residents I hear a clear message time and again: people are fed up with seeing so much gambling where they live, while having little say over whether new venues open.

I knew grappling with this issue would be an uphill battle. The gambling industry is lucrative and deeply embedded in our communities. When I looked into why councils were struggling to stop new betting shops, casinos and adult gaming centres opening, I discovered the problem.

At the heart of it was the outdated “aim to permit” principle in the Gambling Act 2005. It meant councils were effectively working against a presumption that gambling premises should be permitted, leaving them limited ability to say no. This one principle is the root of the crisis on our high streets: it has stripped local........

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