BoyleSports Wakefield city centre betting shop plan approved despite public health director’s plea to protect children

Despite the objection, BoyleSports UK was granted permission to open a betting shop at the former Poundworld building near to the city’s Trinity Walk Centre.

Wakefield Council’s public health department objected to the plan, highlighting the building’s close proximity to drug, alcohol and mental health treatment services as well as premises used by Gamblers Anonymous.

Licensing solicitor Paddy Whur told a council licensing sub-committee meeting that BoyleSports have 31 betting shops in the UK operating in 19 different local authority areas.

He said: “They have never been refused an application for a betting office licence and they have never faced any statutory concerns or reviews of their premises.

“They are a company that you can have complete and utter confidence in should a licence be granted in Wakefield.”

Mr Whur said the company had provided a thorough risk assessment document as part of the application.

The lawyer said the firm had offered to meet with public health officials to discuss their concerns ahead of the meeting but had not received a response.

Mr Whur said the number of betting shops in Wakefield city centre had reduced by half, from eight to four, since 2019 following the closure of a Coral, a Labrokes and two William Hill premises.

He added: “There would be an investment of £300,000 in the building to bring it back to life. It would bring employment and business rates would be paid.

“This is as good as it gets in terms of regulatory management.”

Lee Otter, director of property and development for BoyleSports, told the meeting how the company had robust measures in place to age-verify customers.

He said staff also undergo thorough training to spot vulnerable customers or those under the influence of drink or drugs.

Wakefield’s public health director Anna Hartley then told the meeting: “I have a statutory duty to protect the health and wellbeing of the population.

“That includes mental health, and that is particularly important, given that our district has the highest rate of suicide in Yorkshire and Humber.

“The gambling industry makes £12.7 billion per year in England.

“That is profit coming out of hardworking people’s pockets going straight into the gambling industry.

“That isn’t a few pounds here and there.

“What we are talking about is a community that is very vulnerable.

“We are in a cost of living crisis where people are struggling to keep their homes and put food on the table.

Ms Hartley said it was the first time the public health department had objected to a betting licence application in the city.

She referred to a Public Health England review which estimates harms associated with gambling cost the country at least £1.27 billion between 2019 and 2020.

She continued: “We have a choice about what kind of city we want.

“For the majority of the population, people like ourselves sat around this table, gambling does not produce a huge risk.

“But unfortunately gambling harms are not distributed equally around our society.

“The fewer gambling premises we have in Wakefield district the more we protect children and vulnerable people

“We understand that gambling companies target areas of high deprivation like Wakefield city centre.

“There is a reason for that.

“We have clear evidence around the fact that gambling does impact on children and young people and our most vulnerable groups in the district.”

Mr Whur suggested that the public health evidence was “well-intended” but “anecdotal”.

He told councillors: “There has not been any empirical evidence put before you that those premises (in Wakefield) are causing negative impacts.

“This is a responsible operator who has never had any issues and has never had a licence refusal.”

In response, Ms Hartley said: “For the record, I would just like to add that I am the director of public health for Wakefield district and I am appointed by the Secretary of State.

“The evidence I have submitted is not anecdotal.

“It is based on research by national bodies.”