Councillors demand new gambling law

4.46.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Wed 9th Jul 2008

Councillors Ursula Woolley and Tracy Ismail

Islington Liberal Democrat councillors have called for national changes to licensing laws surrounding gambling, after the existing law acted to silence local objections to a new gaming arcade at Archway.

More than 50 residents signed a petition against the license bid and dozens of letters of objection were handed into the licensing committee - but the licensing guidelines under the Gambling Act, passed by the Labour Government in 2005, didn't allow them to be taken into account.

In May 2007 Islington's Licensing Committee refused an application for a gaming arcade on Holloway Road. Eighty-nine local residents signed a petition in opposition to the arcade. Local police argued that an arcade would increase levels of crime and disorder in the area. And everyone agreed that it would hurt attempts to regenerate the Nags Head town centre area.

But the gambling company appealed that decision, and early this year the Wood Green County Court overturned the council's refusal, and gave the arcade permission to open. The council was held liable for all legal costs.

Councillors are calling for a change to the Gambling Act that would let them:

• Take into account the number of other gambling establishments in the area.

• Listen properly to the concerns of local people.

Councillor Tracy Ismail, Liberal Democrat chair of the licensing committee, said:

"It's not about being illiberal about gambling, it's about making sure that local people have a say about what goes on in their own area.

"Even though the local community were against a new arcade, the committee's hands were tied. The new gambling legislation put in place by Labour seems to pander to the gambling lobby.

"There are a few commonsense things that the Government could do. Let the licensing panel take people's wishes properly into account. Let us look at how many other gambling venues there are in the immediate area."

Councillor Ursula Woolley, a local Lib Dem councillor in Archway, added:

"The law currently isn't on the side of local people. The Labour Government, who wrote the law and put it on the statute books, isn't on the side of local people. The gambling laws were effectively a slap in the face to residents who want to have a say about the character of their neighbourhood - as are the licensing laws which don't let councils stop pubs being turned into strip clubs. The law needs changing."