Coastal Renewal and High Street Survival: A Crucial Test for Labour – Joseph Cullis, Bacta President

As we head to Liverpool for Labour Party Conference, I am struck by how important this moment is for our sector and the communities we operate in.

At Conference, Bacta will host a fringe event exploring the vital role that coastal businesses and communities play in driving local economic growth. Seaside towns are part of Britain’s identity, but they are also places where investment, jobs and community life depend on the continued success of family-run arcades and leisure businesses.

That story is just as true on our high streets. Adult Gaming Centres and other venues have been anchor tenants for decades – providing safe, regulated, low-stake entertainment, employing local people and drawing footfall that benefits surrounding shops, pubs and cafes. In many town centres, we are among the few businesses still willing to commit to bricks-and-mortar premises, even as others move online.

Labour has taken welcome steps to recognise the challenges facing both coastal and high street economies, but there is more to do. Too many communities still face disadvantage, and too often the role of anchor businesses such as ours is overlooked. The debate on renewal must include a clear plan to support the industries that sustain local economies, create good jobs and keep high streets alive.

Bacta members are already making that contribution. Our sector supports thousands of jobs, provides significant value to the UK economy, and delivers significant tax revenues to the Treasury.

But this progress is under threat. The looming threat of higher Machine Gaming Duty in the Budget would add costs that many businesses simply cannot absorb. At a time when wages, energy bills and costs are already rising, any increase in MGD risks tipping otherwise viable venues – on high streets as well as at the seaside – into closure. The result would be job losses, shuttered premises and declining town centres.

That is why this Labour Party Conference matters so much. It is an opportunity for us to speak directly with Parliamentarians about the importance of our sector, the risks we face, and the reforms we are leading. It is also a reminder of why Bacta membership is so important. By standing together we can show policymakers that our industry is both responsible and indispensable to Britain’s high streets and seaside towns alike.

I look forward to making that case in Liverpool.

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25 September 2025

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