Local authorities in the UK are one step closer to being given more control over the granting of retail licenses after a bill cleared the House of Lords.

The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill passed the third reading in the House of Lords yesterday, 15 April, making its way towards the final stages of consideration and Royal Assent. 

Prior to this, proposals to amend the bill were approved by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing and Local Government in the Labour government, during the Lords’ report stage on Monday 13 April.

Of particular interest is Amendment 305. The clause clears the way for the creation of ‘gambling impact assessments’ (GIAs) within the Gambling Act 2005, which significantly moves the goalpost from the current “aim to permit” rule.

So far, the default starting point when applying for a licence has been the granting of such licence. If a local authority chooses to reject an application, it then needs to justify its reasoning with sufficient evidence, such as increased gambling risk among the population.

With amendment 305 coming into play, authorities will be able to create GIAs for one or more areas under their jurisdiction, where they can argue that the creation of more gambling premises will be problematic, again using evidence of local harm and cumulative impact on residents. 

This means that the licence applicants will now have to prove they are in line with the licensing objectives set out as a result of these GIAs, essentially shifting the burden to the applicants to prove they should be granted a licence in those designated areas.

“This would amend the Gambling Act 2005 to enable licensing authorities to adopt, and act in accordance with, policies aimed at preventing the grant of gambling licences in order to respond to (a) the cumulative impact of multiple gambling premises or (b) other reasons relating to the licensing objectives in that Act,” the amendment reads.

Still, this does not constitute an absolute ban, as refusals can be contested. Application rejections will be viewed as unlawful if the applicant successfully proves that the granting of such a licence is consistent with the licensing objectives set out by the local authority.

Again, amendment 305 does not overwrite the ‘aim to permit’ rule. It just creates a reverse mechanism for designated areas where applicants need to justify license approval.

The amended bill will now be returned to the Commons for consideration of the amendments, during which Amendment 305 could be removed by MPs.

If the amended bill reaches Royal Assent, it remains to be seen whether this will appease local councils across the UK, which, for over a year now, have been calling for more independent authority over gambling permits and advertising within their jurisdictions.

PM Keir Starmer had previously taken gambling reform campaigners calls for a review of the Aim to Permit rule on board. Led by Labour MP Dawn Butler, a number of Labour MPs and councillors have been calling for more powers to prevent gambling businesses from setting up in their areas, taking particular aim at Adult Gaming Centres but also at betting shops.

“We will give councils stronger powers over the location and numbers of gambling outlets to help create safe, thriving, high streets,” Starmer said during a Prime Minister’s Questions session way back in September 2025.