Eighth Erdington high street betting shop ridiculous - MP

An eighth betting shop opening on a Birmingham high street will turn its shopping centre into a betting centre, an MP says.

Residents have complained Erdington High Street has deteriorated and want their voices heard, Labour MP Paulette Hamilton said.

A consultation and petition to stop permission being granted for the premises ends on 2 February.

The government is considering an appeal after councillors rejected the plans.

An application was previously blocked by Birmingham City Council, but the gambling firm has now appealed against the decision, she said.

The high street attracts anti-social behaviour and, if a recent bid for levelling up funding from the government had been successful, it would have helped rejuvenate the area by restoring the town's swimming pool and attracted new businesses, she said.

"Areas like Erdington, which is among the 10% highest deprived areas in the country - there is a correlation between what is happening on Erdington High Street and the Erdington constituency.

"Police records show that we have second highest levels of anti-social behaviour [in the city]," she told BBC Radio WM..

She added: "Good people want to shop on the high street - not to say others are bad - they won't come on to the high street.

"So many of our businesses are closing because they're not getting the footfall and unfortunately we've got lots of people hanging about outside of these establishments and they really are not actually helping to develop any of the other businesses.

"Which other high street in the whole of Birmingham do you know that would have seven betting-type establishments and an eighth would be considered on a street that's short as Erdington High Street? It's become ridiculous."

It will no longer be a shopping centre, it will be a betting centre, she added.

She has raised the matter in Parliament, hopes the government will reject the appeal and is waiting to hear the outcome after the consultation.

"I want to see Erdington improve and for that to happen we've got to stop having betting shops."

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