Communities up and down the country will be handed greater powers when it comes to new gambling and barber shop proposals. Later this week, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is expected to announce a change to decision making to give local people more control over new stores opening on high streets.

This means that residents would be able to reject certain proposed shops and limit the number of any particular type of shop in a specific area, which could include gambling, vape and American sweet shops, as well as Turkish barber shops.

Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary Steve Reed said on social media that the plans would give local communities "beefed up powers" to block these types of shops that he claimed were "ruining high streets".

Peterborough's Labour MP Andrew Pakes

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