The National Risk Assessment of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing 2025 assessed the most common money laundering risks the UK is exposed to and found that criminal cash is often laundered through cash-intensive businesses, including barbershops. The National Crime Agency estimates that around £1 billion of criminal cash is laundered through seemingly legitimate businesses, including rogue barbershops, vape stores, mini-marts and sweet shops.

We are tackling this through the newly published Anti-Money Laundering and Asset Recovery (AMLAR) Strategy. The strategy will tackle this growing threat by combining targeted operational action, improved intelligence, and enhanced enforcement capability. The Government has provided £30 million to strengthen the response to organised crime operating on our high streets, including through a new High Street Organised Crime Unit.

No one should face discrimination, harassment or abuse because they are disabled or because they rely on an assistance dog. The Equality Act 2010 places a general duty on businesses and service providers to make reasonable adjustments to allow disabled people, including people with assistance dogs, access to goods and services so they are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled people.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Equality Act. It has published guidance - ‘Assistance Dogs: a guide for businesses and service providers’ - to help businesses understand what they can do to meet their legal duties to assistance dog owners.

Duties and protections under the Equality Act are ultimately enforceable through the courts, and anybody who thinks that they have been discriminated against - including where access to an assistance dog has been refused - can take legal action to seek to resolve the issue. The EHRC will support people who have experienced discrimination through that process.

This Government is determined to tackle all forms of hate crime, including those targeting disabled people, wherever they occur and whoever is responsible.

Where criminal offences are motivated by hostility towards disability, we expect the police to investigate robustly and work with the Crown Prosecution Service to bring offenders to justice.

The HMRC Valuation Office does not hold data on the number of vaping shops operating in England.

To give communities and councils greater control over the future of their high streets, we will consult on new planning rules so that most shops changing use to vape shops and adult gaming centres will need to submit a planning application before opening. The consultation on the change will be published in the Autumn.

Whilst the introduction of a licensing for tobacco and vaping retailers using powers in the Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026 will strengthen enforcement, these changes will give councils greater powers to prevent clustering or new shops opening in inappropriate locations, such as near schools.

A clearer definition of a vape shop, combined with planning controls, will help local planning authorities identify and monitor premises whose primary purpose is the sale of vapes. Evidence on likely impacts and whether other premises should also be restricted will be gathered through consultation and considered before final policy decisions are made.

We will also review business rates reliefs for businesses that do not make a positive contribution to local communities. Further detail will be set out at the Budget, following careful consideration of the impact of different policy options and definitions on different types of businesses.

These measures are initial steps towards a wider High Streets Strategy, to be published later this year.

Local authorities are not required to notify the Department if they adopt High Street Rental Auction (HSRA) powers and therefore the Department does not hold comprehensive data on take-up. However, through regular engagement with local authorities, we are aware of more than 40 councils that have either implemented or are actively preparing to use HSRAs.

The Government recognises that there are costs associated with implementing the powers and is currently gathering evidence from local authorities to review the HSRA new burdens payments. Through this engagement, councils have highlighted additional costs associated with identifying suitable vacant premises and refurbishment of long-term vacant premises. To that end, the Government has announced a £10 million funding package to support HSRA implementation. Further details will be made available in due course.

Local authorities are not required to notify the Department if they adopt High Street Rental Auction (HSRA) powers and therefore the Department does not hold comprehensive data on take-up. However, through regular engagement with local authorities, we are aware of more than 40 councils that have either implemented or are actively preparing to use HSRAs.

The Government recognises that there are costs associated with implementing the powers and is currently gathering evidence from local authorities to review the HSRA new burdens payments. Through this engagement, councils have highlighted additional costs associated with identifying suitable vacant premises and refurbishment of long-term vacant premises. To that end, the Government has announced a £10 million funding package to support HSRA implementation. Further details will be made available in due course.

Local authorities are not required to notify the Department if they adopt High Street Rental Auction (HSRA) powers and therefore the Department does not hold comprehensive data on take-up. However, through regular engagement with local authorities, we are aware of more than 40 councils that have either implemented or are actively preparing to use HSRAs.

The Government recognises that there are costs associated with implementing the powers and is currently gathering evidence from local authorities to review the HSRA new burdens payments. Through this engagement, councils have highlighted additional costs associated with identifying suitable vacant premises and refurbishment of long-term vacant premises. To that end, the Government has announced a £10 million funding package to support HSRA implementation. Further details will be made available in due course.

To give communities and councils greater control over the future of their high streets, we will consult on new planning rules so that most shops changing use to vape shops and adult gaming centres will need to submit a planning application before opening. The consultation on the change will be published in the Autumn.

Whilst the introduction of a licensing for tobacco and vaping retailers using powers in the Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026 will strengthen enforcement, these changes will give councils greater powers to prevent clustering or new shops opening in inappropriate locations, such as near schools.

A clearer definition of a vape shop, combined with planning controls, will help local planning authorities identify and monitor premises whose primary purpose is the sale of vapes. Evidence on likely impacts and whether other premises should also be restricted will be gathered through consultation and considered before final policy decisions are made.

We will also review business rates reliefs for businesses that do not make a positive contribution to local communities. Further detail will be set out at the Budget, following careful consideration of the impact of different policy options and definitions on different types of businesses.

These measures are initial steps towards a wider High Streets Strategy, to be published later this year.

To give communities and councils greater control over the future of their high streets, we will consult on new planning rules so that most shops changing use to vape shops and adult gaming centres will need to submit a planning application before opening. The consultation on the change will be published in the Autumn.

Whilst the introduction of a licensing for tobacco and vaping retailers using powers in the Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026 will strengthen enforcement, these changes will give councils greater powers to prevent clustering or new shops opening in inappropriate locations, such as near schools.

A clearer definition of a vape shop, combined with planning controls, will help local planning authorities identify and monitor premises whose primary purpose is the sale of vapes. Evidence on likely impacts and whether other premises should also be restricted will be gathered through consultation and considered before final policy decisions are made.

We will also review business rates reliefs for businesses that do not make a positive contribution to local communities. Further detail will be set out at the Budget, following careful consideration of the impact of different policy options and definitions on different types of businesses.

These measures are initial steps towards a wider High Streets Strategy, to be published later this year.

To give communities and councils greater control over the future of their high streets, we will consult on new planning rules so that most shops changing use to vape shops and adult gaming centres will need to submit a planning application before opening. The consultation on the change will be published in the Autumn.

Whilst the introduction of a licensing for tobacco and vaping retailers using powers in the Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026 will strengthen enforcement, these changes will give councils greater powers to prevent clustering or new shops opening in inappropriate locations, such as near schools.

A clearer definition of a vape shop, combined with planning controls, will help local planning authorities identify and monitor premises whose primary purpose is the sale of vapes. Evidence on likely impacts and whether other premises should also be restricted will be gathered through consultation and considered before final policy decisions are made.

We will also review business rates reliefs for businesses that do not make a positive contribution to local communities. Further detail will be set out at the Budget, following careful consideration of the impact of different policy options and definitions on different types of businesses.

These measures are initial steps towards a wider High Streets Strategy, to be published later this year.

To give communities and councils greater control over the future of their high streets, we will consult on new planning rules so that most shops changing use to vape shops and adult gaming centres will need to submit a planning application before opening. The consultation on the change will be published in the Autumn.

Whilst the introduction of a licensing for tobacco and vaping retailers using powers in the Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026 will strengthen enforcement, these changes will give councils greater powers to prevent clustering or new shops opening in inappropriate locations, such as near schools.

A clearer definition of a vape shop, combined with planning controls, will help local planning authorities identify and monitor premises whose primary purpose is the sale of vapes. Evidence on likely impacts and whether other premises should also be restricted will be gathered through consultation and considered before final policy decisions are made.

We will also review business rates reliefs for businesses that do not make a positive contribution to local communities. Further detail will be set out at the Budget, following careful consideration of the impact of different policy options and definitions on different types of businesses.

These measures are initial steps towards a wider High Streets Strategy, to be published later this year.

To give communities and councils greater control over the future of their high streets, we will consult on new planning rules so that most shops changing use to vape shops and adult gaming centres will need to submit a planning application before opening. The consultation on the change will be published in the Autumn.

Whilst the introduction of a licensing for tobacco and vaping retailers using powers in the Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026 will strengthen enforcement, these changes will give councils greater powers to prevent clustering or new shops opening in inappropriate locations, such as near schools.

A clearer definition of a vape shop, combined with planning controls, will help local planning authorities identify and monitor premises whose primary purpose is the sale of vapes. Evidence on likely impacts and whether other premises should also be restricted will be gathered through consultation and considered before final policy decisions are made.

We will also review business rates reliefs for businesses that do not make a positive contribution to local communities. Further detail will be set out at the Budget, following careful consideration of the impact of different policy options and definitions on different types of businesses.

These measures are initial steps towards a wider High Streets Strategy, to be published later this year.