Council chiefs have written to the leaders of the main political parties demanding manifesto commitments to drastically cut high stakes wagered on town centre gambling shops from £100 to £2 a spin.

Sent ahead of an event on the impact of fixed odds betting terminals organised by a gambling campaign group today, the joint letter from Newham Mayor Sir Robin Wales and the Local Government Association's licensing spokesman, Cllr Tony Page warns ‘none of the measures implemented or currently proposed by industry or government will effectively address this issue'. 

‘Reducing the stakes on these machines is a crucial step which we would hope to see introduced alongside additional licensing measures to help reverse the decline of high streets nationwide, the letter read.  ‘This would be real localism at work.'