Barbers and vape shops ‘driving out’ high street retailers, Wakefield councillor claims
Wakefield Council is set to debate calls to limit the number of barbers and vape shops on the district’s high streets.
Wakefield Council is poised to urge the government to make changes to planning rules to prevent the “over-concentration” of barbers and vape shops on the district’s high streets.
Councillors are to debate a motion which highlights concerns that some “cash-based businesses” are “driving out independent retailers” and being used for money laundering and organised crime.
Michelle Collins, Labour councillor for South Elmsall and South Kirkby, has put forward proposals to call on Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary Steve Reed to reform planning controls.
Barbers and vape shops are currently classed as “general retail” which allows landlords to change the use of most business premises without planning permission being required.
Coun Collins said it meant local authorities had no powers to prevent shops “clustering” in a particular area or to consider the impact on “the vitality of our high streets.”
The motion states: “This over-concentration is driving out independent retailers, family-run businesses, and everyday services that make our town centres sustainable and welcoming.
“National enforcement agencies have identified some cash-based premises, including barbers and vape shops, as being used for money laundering and organised crime, with the National Crime Agency estimating that around £12 billion of criminal cash moves through the UK economy each year.”
The motion calls for the government to create a separate classification for vape shops and barber shops, which would require planning consent and allow councils to consider “community impact and potential crime links” when considering applications.
Coun Collins said: “Our high streets should reflect the needs and aspirations of local communities, not speculative landlords or exploitative business models.
“While legitimate vape shops and barbers have their place, their unchecked spread is undermining retail diversity, weakening local economies, and in some cases enabling criminal activity.
“The planning system, as it stands, is not fit for purpose when it comes to managing this issue.
“National reform is urgently needed to restore local democratic control.”
Councillors will consider the motion at a full council meeting on November 26.