Supplementary memorandum from Business
In Sport and Leisure Limited (DGB 116)
Thank you for inviting Business In Sport and
Leisure to give oral evidence to the Committee on 13 January 2004.
Following our evidence we are submitting this supplementary evidence
for clarification to some of our answers.
PLANNING
Lord McIntosh in his oral evidence to this Committee
suggested that the right of appeal on planning was limited to
judicial Review. Unfortunately we do have both a Planning Inspectorate
and the Courts who are involved in appeals more often!
Looking at Liquor Licensing, there is considerable
evidence that local authorities are appealing to the Planning
Inspectorate and the Courts over planning permission for what
they call "the wrong kind of licensed premises", eg
the premises might be a bar when the Local Authority want a restaurant,
and that these appeals are being upheld. Please find enclosed
a letter from Horsey Lightly Fynn solicitors which gives details
of certain case studies to illustrate this point.
BISL is concerned that despite the abolition of the
"demand" test for gambling facilities, that local authorities
will use their planning powers to test for "need" to
prevent new gambling premises from opening. BISL believes that
the Committee should take into account these powers over planning
and refute any suggestions that local authorities need additional
powers to prevent the expansion of gambling.
RESEARCH ON
PUBLIC OPINION
The Salvation Army maintain that 93 per cent of the
population believe there are enough opportunities to gamble in
the UK. BISL has undertaken two studies which used both qualitative
and quantitative methods and make it very clear that less than
20 per cent of the population are actively anti gambling. BISL's
first study commissioned in 1998 from KPMG found that 88.7 per
cent of respondents had taken part in one or more gambling activity
in the last year, that 38 per cent took part in gambling about
once a week and 26 per cent two or three times a week. The second
study in 2003 by Ernst & Young found that 84.6 per cent had
taken part in more than one gambling activity in the last year,
for 66.3 per cent it is two or more times. There was considerable
support for a change in the law and a recognition that outdated
laws needed updating. Less than 20 per cent of the population
describe themselves as anti-gambling. The majority saw gambling
as a legitimate leisure pursuit and that people should be responsible
for their own actions.
KPMG research was carried out by Mori and OLR and
for Ernst & Young by ICM and Sadek Wynberg. All are nationally
recognised market research companies.
SPECIFIC CONCERNS
ABOUT THE
WORDING OF
THE BILL
BISL is surprised that the Committee did not ask
us about our specific concerns on various clauses of the Bill
which we outlined in our written evidence. Whilst the Committee
is no doubt concerned about the policy which regulates the new
Bill, these specific issues do need to be addressed at this stage.
There is little evidence that the Committee stages of the Bill,
when it reaches Parliament, will present an opportunity for any
meaningful discussion about these clauses and yet they are of
significant concern to the industry.
BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT
DISTRICTS
At our oral evidence session, there was some discussion
about the contribution of gambling to the local environment, particularly
in relation to regeneration. I mentioned at the time Government's
policy on Business Improvement Districts. These were set up by
the Local Government Act 2003 and the Government's aim is to see
councils and businesses working together to improve local conditions.
BIDs are essentially a strategy for recruiting the
private sector into improving the local area. They are funded
by an additional business rate, which is agreed between the Local
Authority and the individual businesses concerned. Typical uses
of this additional business rate are street cleaning and lighting,
but any other scheme which improves the quality of the local environment
may also come under the scope of the BID process.
Business In Sport and Leisure has followed the progress
of BIDs to see if industry and local authorities can work together
to tackle problems associated with the night time economy. The
Economic Secretary to the Treasury made it clear that he did not
envisage any hypothecation of gambling tax for local projects,
but it is quite possible in areas where new gambling facilities
can be part of urban renewal and regeneration that local authorities
could look to establish a BID as part of their plans. There are
23 BIDs at present which are pilot projects spread throughout
the country. More information can be found at http://www.ukbids.org/
TEN PIN
BOWLING AND
SNOOKER CLUBS
BISL represents members who operate both ten-pin
bowling centres and snooker clubs. The clauses which relate to
their operation have not yet been released by DCMS. BISL would
like to ask the Committee if it would consider a visit to both
types of operation which we would be happy to arrange. Whilst
neither type of premises are of the same size as a casino or bingo
club they are of considerable interest to their members and visitors
and it is important that their future regulation takes account
of the economic and social contribution which they make.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you require
further information.
February 2004
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