For a long time now, the Telegraph & Argus, through the Beat The Betting Blight campaign, has been arguing for tighter controls on the betting industry and the way new betting shops can open seemingly with abandon.

The contention was never that betting shops should be banned, but that there is a place for everything and prime city-centre retail locations are not the best positions for businesses of this kind.

This situation is, however, exactly what we have been seeing in Bradford with many empty shops in the centre of the town’s main shopping area becoming gambling establishments.

Some might say that a betting shop is better than an empty unit, but the proliferation of such businesses in the city centre does not send the right message that Bradford is a regenerating city centre which wants to attract people in for shopping, dining and leisure.

Now the Government has taken heed of calls from the T&A and others and has announced that local councils will get more powers to control the number of betting shops being opened. This is exactly what our campaign was all about.

Under current planning legislation, betting shops are classed the same as financial institutions such as banks or estate agents, meaning they can open with impunity and no need for discussion or debate at planning committee level.

The new rules mean that councils can indeed scrutinise proposals and applications to open new premises will not have to automatically be approved, giving planners more control over how many betting shops are allowed in certain areas.

This is excellent news and should improve the retail landscape of our cities and towns.