Andy Burnham is preparing to announce a sweeping crackdown on vape and betting shops as part of an effort to revitalise British high streets, which the Prime Minister says have been "hollowed out" over recent decades.

The move comes amid growing concern over the rapid expansion of vape retailers across UK high streets, where the number of specialist vape shops has surged in tandem with rising e-cigarette use, particularly among young people. Betting shop chains, meanwhile, have long faced criticism from community groups over their concentration in deprived areas.

On Tuesday, Burnham will outline plans to abolish the Blair-era "aim to permit" rule, a policy rooted in the 2005 Gambling Act that currently obliges councils to approve planning applications from gambling shops provided they meet licensing requirements. The rule has been a longstanding source of frustration for local authorities seeking to limit the spread of betting shops in their areas.

The Prime Minister will also introduce measures requiring any new shop selling vapes to obtain planning permission. In addition, the government will tighten the definition of vape shops to stop businesses from classifying themselves as general retailers or convenience stores. Under the new rules, councils will gain the power to block vape shops from opening near schools.

The crackdown targets what Burnham has described as "rogue operators." The announcement comes as the Prime Minister undertakes a cost-of-living tour across the UK, seeking to highlight measures aimed at providing relief to British households.

Revitalising high streets has become a central pillar of the Prime Minister's pledge to voters, under his promise to deliver "growth in every postcode." Successive governments have grappled with the decline of town centres, accelerated by the shift to online shopping and the loss of anchor stores, with limited progress to date.

Putting Communities Back in Control

Officials noted that local communities have increasingly raised concerns over the rapid spread of vape shops and adult gaming centres on their high streets. Under existing rules, these establishments are treated the same as coffee shops and clothing retailers in planning applications.

Burnham said: "For many people, the high streets they grew up with have been hollowed out and become unrecognisable over decades of decline."

"The rise of vape shops, betting shops and rogue operators have replaced the shops, services, and community spaces that people are crying out for," he continued.

"That's not on. I said we would improve Britain's high streets, and that's exactly what we are starting to do. We're putting communities back in control and giving local people a real say over what opens on their high street."

The Prime Minister will appear in Derbyshire on Tuesday alongside housing and communities secretary Angela Rayner to formally announce the new measures.

West End Welcomes New Rules

Rayner said: "People know when their high street isn't working for them. Whether it's the vape shop or betting shops that's opened with no say from locals, the shopfront that's seen better days, or the sense that nobody's in control."

"These problems have built up over years, but this government won't leave councils and communities powerless to crackdown on everyday eyesores that blight our high streets," she added.

The government indicated that the new policies could take effect as early as the start of next year.

The New West End Company, which represents leisure, retail, and hospitality businesses in the district, welcomed the new powers as a "critical step forwards."

Kate Boothman Meier, the business group's director of corporate affairs, said: "For too long, planning loopholes have allowed the proliferation of low-quality retail businesses that can undermine the vitality and attractiveness of our high streets."

"Oxford Street is recognised as the nation's high street and we have seen first-hand the difference that can be made when businesses, councils and the police work together to tackle unwanted uses and create a destination that people want to visit, shop, work and spend time in," she continued.

However, the New West End Company also urged Burnham to reform the business rates system, which Meier said "created the conditions" for vape and betting shops' dominance on the high street. Business rates have been widely blamed for disadvantaging traditional retailers, who often pay disproportionately higher property taxes than online competitors, contributing to the wider hollowing-out of town centres that the government now aims to reverse.