Andy Burnham’s High Street Cleanup: What It Actually Means

Andy Burnham’s High-street Cleanup 

There has been a lot of coverage recently about plans announced by Prime Minister Andy Burnham to give councils greater control over vape shops, betting shops and other businesses appearing on UK high streets.

Some of the headlines make it sound as though vape shops generally are about to be heavily taxed or closed down.

That isn’t quite what has been announced.

As an independent vape retailer, we think customers deserve a clearer explanation of what is being proposed — particularly because there is an important difference between a legitimate specialist vape shop and the rogue businesses that much of the Government’s enforcement activity is actually intended to target.

What has Andy Burnham announced?

The Government wants local councils to have greater control over the mix of businesses opening on their high streets.

Under the proposals, new vape shops would face more specific planning controls rather than automatically being treated in the same way as many other ordinary retail premises.

There are also proposals to give councils greater ability to refuse new betting shops and adult gaming centres.

For vape retailers, this could make opening a new shop in some areas more difficult, particularly where councils believe there are already enough vape shops or where a proposed store would be close to a school.

Importantly, these are primarily measures affecting new premises and planning decisions. They do not amount to an announcement that existing legitimate vape shops across the country are going to be closed. (The Guardian⁠)

Are vape shops going to pay more tax?

This part of the announcement needs some clarification.

The Government has separately announced a reduction in business rates for pubs, social clubs and live music venues in England from April 2027.

To help fund that support, it has said it will review existing business-rate relief given to businesses it considers may not make the same “positive contribution” to high streets, specifically mentioning vape shops.

That means some vape retailers could potentially lose business-rate relief or face a different business-rates treatment in the future.

However, at the moment this is a review — it is not the same thing as a confirmed new tax specifically charged to vape shops.

There is therefore a significant difference between saying “vape shops are getting a new tax” and saying “the Government is reviewing whether vape shops should continue to receive particular business-rate reliefs.” (GOV.UK⁠)

This is also completely separate from the new Vaping Products Duty, which is due to apply to vaping liquid from 1 October 2026.

What about reports of vape shops being closed down?

Another Government initiative has created some understandably worrying headlines.

Police, Trading Standards, HMRC and other enforcement agencies are receiving stronger powers and additional funding to investigate businesses suspected of involvement in organised crime, tax evasion, illegal working and the sale of illegal products.

Vape shops are among the types of businesses being examined, alongside convenience stores, barbers, nail salons, sweet shops and other cash-intensive businesses.

The Government is also planning to extend the maximum period for which rogue premises can be subject to closure orders from six months to up to twelve months while investigations and prosecutions take place.

But this enforcement is not a general power to close a legitimate vape shop simply because it sells vaping products.

It is targeted at businesses suspected of criminal or illegal activity. (GOV.UK⁠)

And that distinction really matters

We understand some of the concerns behind the crackdown.

The legitimate vaping industry has spent years dealing with the damage caused by retailers selling illegal products, supplying under-18s or ignoring UK product regulations.

Those businesses don’t just create problems for regulators. They damage the reputation of every responsible independent vape shop operating properly.

A specialist retailer that checks ID, sells compliant products, pays its taxes and takes its responsibilities seriously should not be treated as interchangeable with a shop selling illicit tobacco or illegal vapes.

We believe enforcement should focus firmly on businesses breaking the law.

Responsible retailers should actually benefit when illegal operators are removed from the market.

What could change on your local high street?

If the proposals go ahead, the most noticeable change is likely to be fewer new vape shops opening automatically in areas where councils believe there are already too many.

Councils could have much more influence over whether a new vape shop is appropriate for a particular location.

Locations close to schools are also expected to receive particular attention.

For established, compliant vape retailers, the bigger financial question will be what happens to business rates following the Government’s review.

That detail has not yet been finalised.

What does this mean for Vape Myst customers?

For our customers, there is no suggestion that you suddenly need to stop buying from legitimate vape shops or that specialist vaping retailers are being banned.

Vape Myst will continue doing what a responsible specialist retailer should be doing: supplying compliant products to adults, operating transparently and keeping customers informed when vaping regulation changes.

There are significant changes coming to the UK vaping market over the next year, including the Vaping Products Duty from October 2026, proposed restrictions around vape packaging and displays, and now potentially tighter rules governing where new vape shops can open.

We will continue explaining those changes without sensationalising them.

Our view

We support strong action against retailers selling illegal vapes, selling to children, avoiding tax or using high-street businesses as a front for criminal activity.

Where we believe the Government needs to be careful is in the language used around legitimate independent vape retailers.

There is a huge difference between an illegal operator and a specialist vape shop that follows UK regulations and serves adult customers responsibly.

The best outcome would be a high street where rogue traders find it increasingly difficult to operate, while reputable independent retailers are able to continue serving their communities.

For customers, the key message for now is simple:

Vape shops are not being universally closed down, and a special new vape-shop tax has not been announced.

There are proposals for tighter planning controls, a review of business-rate relief and much tougher enforcement against businesses suspected of illegal activity.

We’ll keep following the changes and update our customers as the proposals develop.