After a marathon session today. the Licensing Committee finally decided to refuse the application for an Adult Gaming Centre licence for 1 Walm Lane, Willesden Green - the former Lloyds Bank premises.
It was a cross-party resident led campaign that said. 'Enough is enough' over the deterioration of Walm Lane and High Road Willesden and threats to public safety with special concern over young people and children who are growing up in the neighbourhood.
There was a powerful presentation by Brent's Public Health Team on the social and health impact of gambling. Cllr George Burn (Labour, Willesden Green) had done some telling research into the business's background and suggested that it was a 'paper company' that filed its accounts late. There was no substance behind its application and its claims: the community deserved better.
Cllr Mary Mitchell demonstrated the value of a 'Green in the room' with a passionate but well-researched presentation:
Cllr Suzanne Gallagher, spoke as a Willesden Green resident and parent, about having to explain to her 5 year old son, attracted by the lights flashing from gambling machines glimpsed through open doors, what exactly they were. She talked about the impact on gambler's own families of their habit as well as other key aspects of the application:
The applicant's legal representative challenged what she claimed was a lack of proper evidence of the link between gambling and Anti Social Behaviour and crime, while admitting there was such evidence in terms of alcohol and drugs.
The lack of any police representation to the Committee. post its April 16th email saying they were satisfied with the 24 undertakings by the applicant, and therefore would not be making any representations, had clearly disappointed local councillors and residents - since so much had happened, including the murder of a 15 year old, since that date.
'The job of the police is to protect our community - they are negligent and have let us down' one resident said to me as the Committee went off to make their decision in private.
The applicant said that he was a business man making a living, 'I work every day. I am not some kind of multi-national business from outside the community making huge profits,' he argued vehemently.
This was a small committee and of the three members, a word should be said about the diligence and forensic questioning of Liberal Democrat councillor, Fiona Mulaisho. She is clearly taking her job seriously.
