I have written in these pages before about how lucky we are to have Walton and Clacton piers on our doorstep. However, it seems that the Labour government has them in their sights with reports that they plan to whack up taxes on betting in the November budget.

Whilst these tax rises are primarily aimed at the high street bookies, the amusement arcades on piers and promenades, a treasured part of many trips to the seaside, are also in line for a kicking.

Many of these arcades in towns such as ours are long-standing small and medium-sized family businesses that, like the rest of the High Street, are already under pressure from tax rises and soaring energy prices.

I was at Clacton Pier last Friday and spoke to its director, Billy Ball, who fears that a big increase in machine gaming duty “would deliver a catastrophic blow to the seaside amusement sector”, leading to mass closures particularly among stand- alone seafront and High Street arcades.

Bacta, the body that represents the leisure and amusement industry, warns that a proposed hike on Machine Game Duty of just five per cent could close one in three arcades. And in fact, if Labour were to double the duty, from 20 per cent to 40 per cent, they believe they would all shut.

Whilst Labour sees seaside arcades as an easy win to tax it puts many thousands of jobs at risk.
Labour’s tax rises have already closed more pubs, and their plan to ban smoking in pub gardens could have ruined the industry. Now they are coming for the innocent fun of a trip to the arcades.

Many feel protective of the seaside arcades that are part of our heritage. As do I. As your MP, I will do all I can to support our pier and local arcades.