Britain’s Pride in Place plan aims to curb barber-shop proliferation amid high-street revival push

The government on Wednesday unveiled the Pride in Place programme, a package aimed at giving local councils new powers to curb the rapid spread of barber shops that authorities say can serve as fronts for criminal activity, while rolling out funding to revitalize derelict high streets.

Labour said the plan would allow communities to block unwanted shops and to buy beloved local assets, including pubs, as part of a broader effort to rebuild high streets. The party said more than 750 barbers opened in the UK last year despite a downturn in the sector, and police have warned that some premises are being used for money laundering. Housing Secretary Steve Reed told LBC that residents were right to raise concerns about barber shops that stay open even when foot traffic is low, and that councils and communities had previously lacked the tools to halt their spread. "In many places in the country, you’ll get people reporting many barbers suddenly opening up and not many people going in and getting their hair cut. Who knows what they front for, but neither the council nor the community has been able to stop them proliferating, but now they will have the power to restrict them." He cautioned that some shops were linked to criminal activity, while stressing that communities should have the power to stop them proliferating where problems exist.

The plan also foresees compulsory purchase powers for councils to buy derelict pubs and department stores and repurpose them as new businesses or housing. Government officials said around 50 pubs close each month on average, a trend landlords attribute to higher minimum wage costs and national insurance, and the Pride in Place package would enable local people to decide how best to reclaim and regenerate struggling spaces. In addition to boosting retail recovery, the funding would support projects that consult community groups, local organizations and social clubs, with the aim of narrowing regional inequalities across England, Scotland and Wales and, separately, Northern Ireland.

Porth in South Wales was cited as an example of what some communities see as an overconcentration of barbers, reporting 14 hairdressers for a town of about 6,000 residents. That anecdote underpins a broader argument that unchecked proliferation of certain shop formats can undermine traditional town centers and contribute to dereliction in some wards.

Beyond barbers, Labour namechecked betting shops, vape stores and so-called fake barbers as shops that communities may want to regulate more closely under the new powers. The government described the Pride in Place initiative as unprecedented in its scale and scope, saying it would target long-standing deprivation and regional disparities. It added that funding would flow to more than 330 of the UK’s most deprived communities to support high-street overhauls, with local preferences guiding how money is spent.

NCA officers earlier this year joined local police, immigration enforcement and HM Revenue and Customs inspectors in raids on 33 barber shops tied to money laundering and other criminal activity. The operation resulted in the seizure of more than £500,000 in cash and seven arrests. Officials stressed that not all barber shops are implicated, but the incidents underscored why communities and authorities want greater oversight over shop proliferation in town centers.

The Pride in Place funding is set to land in England, Scotland and Wales, with corresponding allocations promised for Northern Ireland. Local Government Association chair Cllr Arooj Shah welcomed the package, saying the extra funding and powers would help councils revitalize high streets and regulate betting and vaping shops while breathing life into vacant premises. Shah urged that the funds be allocated fairly and flexibly, with government support to empower communities to take the lead in renewal efforts.

In a parallel wave of policy messaging around national unity, Prime Minister and Labour counterparts have signaled that patriotism should be tied to community rebuilding. The government stressed that Pride in Place represents a practical, locally driven approach to renewing neighborhoods rather than a top-down Westminster mandate.

Official figures published in the notes show a regional spread of pub closures across England and Wales that has shifted over six months. End-December 2023 closures totaled 39,401, compared with 39,096 by the end of June 2024 — a regional pattern that varied by area but indicated a modest overall decline of 305 closures in that period. The data underscore the challenge of High Street decline and the potential impact of targeted funding and powers to keep traditional centers vibrant.

These policy steps—granting local communities more say over what shops may operate, enabling the purchase of key assets, and delivering targeted funding—are designed to prompt a bottom-up revival of town centers. While officials acknowledge that not all barber shops or other outlets are illegal or problematic, they argue that clearer local oversight can reduce opportunities for illicit activity and help protect cherished community spaces. Proponents say the measures offer towns and villages a stake in renewal, rather than waiting for national or private-sector solutions to revive aging high streets.