Barking and Dagenham Council has revised its Statement of Gambling Licensing Policy, aiming to strengthen protections against gambling-related harm. The updated policy, discussed and agreed upon by the Licensing and Regulatory Committee on Thursday, September 3, 2026, incorporates feedback from a public consultation and aims to promote the licensing objectives under the Gambling Act 2005: preventing gambling from being a source of crime or disorder, ensuring it is conducted fairly and openly, and protecting children and vulnerable persons from harm.

During the meeting, Councillor Shamsul Azam raised concerns about the number of consultation responses and specific actions planned to reduce gambling harm, as well as engagement with schools and youth services. Nick Howard, Environmental Health Service Manager, explained that 16 responses were typical for such a policy. He outlined a three-pronged approach for the next 12 months: building an evidence base, reviewing the prevalence of gambling premises, and delving deeper into the prevalence and severity of gambling harms within Barking and Dagenham. This deeper understanding could potentially lead to an early review of the gambling policy. Furthermore, the council will be monitoring government announcements regarding further action to improve standards on the high street. From an operational standpoint, business as usual will involve processing changes in applications and licensing for gambling premises, alongside risk-based inspection activity.

Map showing licensed premises in Barking and Dagenham, overlaid with LSOA IMD deciles indicating deprivation levels.
Map showing licensed premises in Barking and Dagenham.

Councillor Julia Williams questioned the wording regarding licensing objectives and the potential impact of government announcements on the aim to permit policy. Mr. Howard clarified that the wording reasonably consistent in relation to licensing objectives is a pragmatic formulation from statutory guidance. The term promote in the context of the policy refers to the duty on operators, not the council, and comes out of the statutory guidance. The council will track any changes to national gambling policy and keep you briefed in future meetings regarding potential shifts, such as the removal of the 'aim to permit' policy. Mr. Howard explained the typical process: you might hear an announcement and then we might see a white paper, and that would then indicate the wording and the intentions, and how different aspects of policy are woven together.

Councillor Manjeet Nandra inquired about the council's monitoring of policy objectives. The committee was informed that monitoring occurs through scrutiny of applications, contact with licensed entities, and follow-up to complaints or proactive inspections, which are conducted on a risk-based approach. Beyond these direct actions, the council will continue to work collaboratively with Public Health, Safeguarding, Community Safety, the Metropolitan Police, partner agencies and responsible authorities to maintain focus on the licensing objectives and reduce gambling-related harm within the Borough.

Map showing premises clustering in Station Parade, Barking, with a legend indicating schools and licensed premises.
Map showing premises clustering near schools.

Engagement with schools and youth services will very much form part of the gambling harms programme and will be a wider partnership piece of work. The council is aware of powers to consider large clustering of gambling premises close to vulnerable locations, such as schools, and will carry out some further risk-focused activity looking at individual hotspot locations, school locations, and vulnerable service locations.

The revised policy will now proceed to Cabinet and then to the General Assembly for final adoption. The consultation process, which ran from July 13 to August 24, 2026, received 16 responses, with the majority supporting the draft policy. However, 50% of respondents felt the policy did not go far enough to protect children and vulnerable people. The meeting documents do not provide a specific definition of 'vulnerable persons' in the context of gambling harm. However, the Gambling Commission does not seek to define 'vulnerable adults' but does, for regulatory purposes, assume that this group includes people who may gamble more than they want to; people who gamble beyond their means; and people who may not be able to make informed or balanced decisions about gambling due to mental health needs, learning disability or substance misuse relating to alcohol or drugs.

Bar chart showing the number of responses received for a revised gambling licensing policy, broken down by area.
Consultation response breakdown.

Many respondents expressed concerns about the number of betting shops in the borough, a matter beyond the council's direct licensing control. While acknowledging these concerns, the council plans to review the prevalence of gambling premises, not only within the borough, but also on the boundaries of the borough as part of its next 12 months' work. This review aims to provide a better mapping of premises. The council will also be watching what happens in [government announcements regarding taking further action to improve standards on the high street].

Map showing the distribution of adult gaming centres, betting shops, and bingo halls across Barking and Dagenham, with wards highlighted.
Distribution of gambling premises.

The policy acknowledges that gambling-related harm can have wide-ranging impacts, including financial hardship, poor mental health, and relationship breakdown. It emphasizes a preventative partnership approach and supports safer gambling practices. The council will continue to work with Public Health and other agencies to improve local understanding of gambling-related harms. The full details of the revised policy can be found in the Public reports pack for the Licensing and Regulatory Committee meeting on September 3, 2026 Public reports pack Thursday 03-Sep-2026 19.00 Licensing and Regulatory Committee.pdf.