Highland Council's bid to beat too many bookies
A former licensing board member has won support from Highland councillors to persuade Westminster to change gambling regulations, after a controversial new Inverness bookies got the go-ahead.
City councillor Richard Laird lodged a successful motion seeking agreement to lobby the UK Government so overprovision of gambling outlets is reintroduced as potential grounds to reject a new bookmakers application.
In October the Highland Licensing Board turned down William Hill’s bid to open a shop at the former Lochiel Bar because of its proximity to vulnerable members of the Merkinch community, namely recovering drug addicts in the nearby For The Right Reasons charity base.
The board later quashed the decision after a legal challenge from William Hill exposed a procedural blunder during the board’s debate as the company’s solicitor was not invited to comment at one point.
Councillor Laird later quit the board in protest and told the full council today (Thursday) that he wanted the law changed because the "ridiculous" Merkinch case demonstrated the "flaw" in the licensing system.
The SNP councillor said he was particularly alarmed at the growth in popularity of fixed-odds gambling machines where users could spend £120 every 20 seconds if they wished.
Licensing board chairwoman Maxine Smith and several of Councillor Lard’s former colleagues on the body signed the motion, which was unanimously supported by the local authority.
The authority wants to see overprovison reintroduced in the Gambling Act and permit limits on the number and type of gaming machines permitted in an area.
