Parliament Workbench

Petition · PE01439 · Session 4

Betting and loan shops in deprived communities

Closed Submitted 5 Jul 2012 Housing & Planning
Signatures
0
44 online signatures with a country
Comments
8
Considered
4 meetings
in the Official Report

What it asks

Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to urgently review the correlation between the prevalence of betting shops and cheque cashing / pay day loan type shops on our high streets and in our communities, and high levels of poverty and deprivation and to use any evidence found in such a review to support the introduction of new planning powers for councils and other empowered authorities to refuse permission for premises of these types on the grounds of overprovision; when supported by robust statistical evidence of high levels of deprivation in communities to be served by such establishments.

What the petitioner did first

Having been a member of West Dunbartonshire Council's Planning Committee for the past five years, I, along with the majority of other members of the Committee, have consistently tried to refuse permission for new premises to open in West Dunbartonshire. However, each time, without fail, appeals against our decisions are upheld as there are currently no grounds for refusal.
We have also attempted to amend the Local Plan to assit us in finding grounds for refusal but have been constrained by legislation and have been unable to implement any protections.
I have spoken to a number of MSPs from various political parties that I have met at events relating to my work as a Councillor over the past 5 years and was advised that since this issue requires a change in legislation, the best course of action would be to seek public support for this through the e-petitions system. I have waited for some time for the new system to be launched and now that it has I am following that advice.

Where it was considered

Official Report
  1. 13 Nov 2012
    Public Petitions Committee
    New Petitions
    1 mention
  2. 19 Feb 2013
    Public Petitions Committee
    Current Petitions
    1 mention
  3. 30 Apr 2013
    Public Petitions Committee
    Current Petitions
    1 mention
  4. 17 Sep 2013
    Public Petitions Committee
    Current Petitions
    1 mention

Signatures by country

44 online signatures
  1. Scotland29 65.9%
  2. United Kingdom8 18.2%
  3. England6 13.6%
  4. Northern Ireland1 2.3%

Comments

8 comments, oldest first
  1. Jim Bollan 16 Jul 2012
    These cheque shops pray on the poor and charge extortionate rates to those who are that poor thay they cannot access the high street banks.
  2. carol lamond 1 Aug 2012
    its time that the high streets were given back to the people, and away from the parasites
  3. Ann Jones 2 Aug 2012
    The money should be used for treatment for those whose gambling has become a problem.
  4. Kenneth MacAlpine 12 Aug 2012
    Businesses and greed seem to get away with what it wants. Stop the impoverished being prayed upon like dying animals by greedy vultures.
  5. Maureen Paterson 13 Aug 2012
    I have been concerned about this issue,not only the amount of betting and payday loan shops but the amount of online gambling,poker,casinos you name it. We are going to have really big problems with compulsive gamblers,if not already.
  6. S.Farquhar 17 Aug 2012
    I agree this is an issue
  7. Cllr Thomas Cochrane 6 Sep 2012
    These companies have caused a number of my families in my ward to get into finacial difficulty. There interest rates are way to high and they need to be brought under tighter contol.
  8. Rose Harvie 20 Sep 2012
    As Secretary of a Community Council in Dumbarton, where there is a marked degree of poverty and unemployment, and where the High Street is already dominated by the outlets mentioned in the Petition, I have been asked by ilverton and Overtoun Community Council support Mr McColl's Petition. The last thing we need in Dumbarton is yet more betting shops and cheap loan shops, and we urge the Scottish Parliament to grant the Petition.