Church leaders in Bradford back T&A campaign to Beat the Betting Blight

7:10am Wednesday 11th July 2012 in News Photograph of the Author By Dolores Cowburn, Bradford Chief Reporter

Chris Howson has backed our Beat the Betting Blight campaign Chris Howson has backed our Beat the Betting Blight campaign

The City centre mission priest has backed the Telegraph & Argus’s Beat the Betting Blight campaign, launched to make it more difficult for bookies to set up shop in Bradford.

The T&A revealed yesterday Bradford now has ten bookies operating in the city, as well as eight amusement centres and two casinos.

Bradford Council has said it is looking to take direct action to stop parts of the city becoming overrun by betting shops.

The T&A believes that all premises where gambling is the main part of the business should have to apply for a special licence or be subject to a special planning category that would give local authorities the power to refuse them if they felt to do otherwise would be detrimental to the local shopping environment.

The Reverend Chris Howson and the Bishop of Bradford, the Right Reverend Nick Baines have declared their support for restricting gambling establishments.

Mr Howson said: “Well done to the T&A for this campaign.

“You have got to understand that betting and gambling shops are a net loss to Bradford.

“It takes more money out of the local economy than it puts in and it is in the interests of Bradford to reduce the number of betting shops and encourage small businesses to come in their place.

“It also looks like a declining city centre when you see gambling shops and loan sharks.”

The Bishop said that “Whereas smoking and alcohol have become increasingly subject to restrictions on sale and advertising, gambling has expanded to fill the vacuum”.

“Why has this destructive and addictive culture been given such an easy ride?” he added.

“It is always the poor and vulnerable who lose out. I will support any move to restrict the number of gambling outlets in Bradford – we need the sort of shops and entertainment outlets that will bring all sorts of people into the centre and betting shops will not do that.”

Councillor David Green said that they were unable to stop the opening of the latest William Hill branch in Bradford in Bank Street as the premises had been used by a financial services company.

Comments(19)

collos25 says...
8:40am Wed 11 Jul 12

Which is the worst betting offices or churches at least you know a betting office is a money making concern whereas the church is just a relic of a bygone era full of hypocrits.

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Clowny says...
8:42am Wed 11 Jul 12

The council aren't being honest on this one. They are allowing the change of use of shops on retail streets to A2 (financial) which then allows them to become a bookies with future applications.

If the council stopped changes from A1 to A2, problem solved.

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Clowny says...
9:41am Wed 11 Jul 12

For clarity a complete A1 to A2 application including building frontage where it could be confirmed the change was to a bank for example should go ahead. If there’s a realistic chance of betting shops getting their own category then a temporary ban on A1 to A2 could also be the solution.

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johnhem says...
10:18am Wed 11 Jul 12

clowny.. "the council aren't being honest", you are having a laugh right? council/honest don't go together in bradford. but the story here is about the T&A campaign to stop betting shops, where's the campaign about wastefield, about the odeon, about inaction throughout the council on almost everything you care to name? i think the wastefield bombsite and the odeon come much higher up the list of "to do" than the odd betting shop. sort out wastefield and the odeon and more proper types of retail will come in. start a campaign to stop construction of more un-needed offices, more apartments and more cafe's/restaurants. change of use to a large leisure centre or music venue using the odeon building would help. duke of edinborough awards for map reading and orienteering on the wastefield waste field would be more appropriate than that hole in the ground.
don't worry about betting shops, punters can only use so many and spend so much meaning closures for those not making enough money, or does the T&A think people will come from miles around just for the betting shops? get a grip T&A, campaign for something worthwhile for a change.

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johnhem says...
10:26am Wed 11 Jul 12

i've just noticed the bishops last paragraph, "its always the poor and vulnerable that lose out". rich or poor makes no difference, betting shops have a door and you do NOT have to go through it. blocking betting shops will only drive it underground, right into the hands of loan sharks waiting for all the losers "to see them through". its a simple choice really, do you want legal regulated betting or illegal gambling dens?

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Superdoo says...
10:58am Wed 11 Jul 12

Am I the only one who finds it hypocritical that organised religions are getting involved in this issue? Since it is they who prey on the weak & vulnerable, and in the case of a lot of these new fangled religions they insist on taking subscriptions from their sheep (parishioners). If anything should be banned in Bradford, it's organised religions.

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Clowny says...
11:10am Wed 11 Jul 12

johnhem wrote:
clowny.. "the council aren't being honest", you are having a laugh right? council/honest don't go together in bradford. but the story here is about the T&A campaign to stop betting shops, where's the campaign about wastefield, about the odeon, about inaction throughout the council on almost everything you care to name? i think the wastefield bombsite and the odeon come much higher up the list of "to do" than the odd betting shop. sort out wastefield and the odeon and more proper types of retail will come in. start a campaign to stop construction of more un-needed offices, more apartments and more cafe's/restaurants. change of use to a large leisure centre or music venue using the odeon building would help. duke of edinborough awards for map reading and orienteering on the wastefield waste field would be more appropriate than that hole in the ground.
don't worry about betting shops, punters can only use so many and spend so much meaning closures for those not making enough money, or does the T&A think people will come from miles around just for the betting shops? get a grip T&A, campaign for something worthwhile for a change.
I’m not entirely sure why, but the T&A editorial slant seems to be in line with that of the council directorship so they’ll never champion Westfield or the Odeon in a manner that would rock the boat at city hall.

I personally think the T&A is letting its readership down by failing to hold the council to account but having said that, it is also a valid problem that we’re losing retail units, which then become bookies as it’s a factor that’s only going to hinder the chance of the city centre recovering and offering a retail choice on a par with other cities.

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Albion. says...
11:20am Wed 11 Jul 12

Keeping well clear of both Betting Shops and Religious Establishments seems like common sense and the path to peace, to me.

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angry bradfordian says...
11:50am Wed 11 Jul 12

I'm disgusted by this campaign.
I don't understand why an independent and unbiased newspaper would start a campaign against something completely legal, regulated and tax generating.
Why not start a campaign about illegally trading companies instead?
The state that the city centre is in then any shops and jobs are a blessing!

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Reality50 says...
1:36pm Wed 11 Jul 12

Online betting is far more dangerous than shop betting and these online sites are less regulated.The church need to keep their noses out however and their campaign will make no difference.It is against the law for under 16s to bet so let adults make their own choices.

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Prisoner Cell Block A says...
4:26pm Wed 11 Jul 12

Someone kiss the bishop's ring.

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a reasonable sort of chap says...
7:19pm Wed 11 Jul 12

johnhem wrote:
i've just noticed the bishops last paragraph, "its always the poor and vulnerable that lose out". rich or poor makes no difference, betting shops have a door and you do NOT have to go through it. blocking betting shops will only drive it underground, right into the hands of loan sharks waiting for all the losers "to see them through". its a simple choice really, do you want legal regulated betting or illegal gambling dens?
It is the poor who are desperate enough to try winning some money.

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a reasonable sort of chap says...
7:20pm Wed 11 Jul 12

...the rich do their gambling on the stock exchange.

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a reasonable sort of chap says...
7:22pm Wed 11 Jul 12

angry bradfordian wrote:
I'm disgusted by this campaign.
I don't understand why an independent and unbiased newspaper would start a campaign against something completely legal, regulated and tax generating.
Why not start a campaign about illegally trading companies instead?
The state that the city centre is in then any shops and jobs are a blessing!
Yes you do have a point. Why don't the T&A lead a campaign to legalize Cannabis, for example, and attract entrepreneurs to open more Hydroponics shops?

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a reasonable sort of chap says...
7:24pm Wed 11 Jul 12

“Drugs and theft are often linked to one another,” said Insp Gallant.

Yes, that's because drugs are illegal, dimwit. Honestly.

http://www.thetelegr
aphandargus.co.uk/ne
ws/9809119.Drugs_and
_cash_haul_found_in_
raid_on_Barkerend_ho
me/

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Steve30d says...
7:25pm Wed 11 Jul 12

a reasonable sort of chap wrote:
...the rich do their gambling on the stock exchange.
...and the CofE make money from shopping centres like the Metro Centre in Gateshead.

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Get back to work says...
8:18pm Wed 11 Jul 12

a reasonable sort of chap wrote:
angry bradfordian wrote:
I'm disgusted by this campaign.
I don't understand why an independent and unbiased newspaper would start a campaign against something completely legal, regulated and tax generating.
Why not start a campaign about illegally trading companies instead?
The state that the city centre is in then any shops and jobs are a blessing!
Yes you do have a point. Why don't the T&A lead a campaign to legalize Cannabis, for example, and attract entrepreneurs to open more Hydroponics shops?
Your joking !! have you seen the prices in these hyroponic shops...

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a reasonable sort of chap says...
10:56am Thu 12 Jul 12

Steve30d wrote:
a reasonable sort of chap wrote:
...the rich do their gambling on the stock exchange.
...and the CofE make money from shopping centres like the Metro Centre in Gateshead.
Well, Protestantism and Capitalism are inextricably linked. The Protestant Work Ethic played a major part in Britain's economic growth over the centuries, and it was the Church, along with the Aristocracy, that stole the common land throughout the Inclosures, thereby creating the workforce for the Agricultural Revolution that was then displaced to form the Working Class of the Industrial Revolution; the very reason we now live in towns and cities. The esoteric side of Protestantism is Freemasonry and Rosicrucianism, the main protagonists of which created the modern world.

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a reasonable sort of chap says...
10:58am Thu 12 Jul 12

Get back to work wrote:
a reasonable sort of chap wrote:
angry bradfordian wrote:
I'm disgusted by this campaign.
I don't understand why an independent and unbiased newspaper would start a campaign against something completely legal, regulated and tax generating.
Why not start a campaign about illegally trading companies instead?
The state that the city centre is in then any shops and jobs are a blessing!
Yes you do have a point. Why don't the T&A lead a campaign to legalize Cannabis, for example, and attract entrepreneurs to open more Hydroponics shops?
Your joking !! have you seen the prices in these hyroponic shops...
Yes but it's much cheaper to grow your own, so a great saving in the long run. Also by growing your own you are not funding criminals.

LEGALIZE CANNABIS ! ! !

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