Today I found out that Lewisham has a Mayor (Mayor Sir Steve Bullock) and that he has written to the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Sport, Tourism and Heritage to recommend a fixed upper amount for play on the machines. He stated that the council is unable to prevent the borough’s abundance of betting shops.
See the article titled "Gamblers oppose betting limits in Lewisham" in the East London Lines (I had never heard of this publication before).
There are five times more betting shops in Lewisham than in more affluent boroughs such as Wimbledon leading to suggestions that bookmakers have targeted the poorest areas with low income levels, high unemployment and crime.
The situation in Lewisham is being replicated across the country. There are probably 100 councils which have passed motions to reduce bets to £2.
I am not sure of the legal process required to reduce the maximum bet in Lewisham - our mayor has written to the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Sport, etc. asking for a reduction of the maximum bet, while other councils have massed motions for the same proposal. Is the Mayor of Lewisham circumventing a council vote, or do those other council votes have no legal effect in their constituencies?
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