No Recorded Troubles at Sex Shops and Lap Dancing Clubs…But Nottingham moralists target them anyway

Read more UK Sex Shop News at MelonFarmers.co.uk

Thanks to David See article from thisisnottingham.co.uk See consultation information from nottinghamcity.gov.uk See online survey (anyone can contribute, there’s nothing onerous) from gossweb.nottinghamcity.gov.uk

Sex shops and lap-dancing clubs should be banned in Nottingham, claims the county’s Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner, Chris Cutland. Cutland moralises that such businesses are old fashioned and demeaning to women: I would like to see a ban. There is a correlation particularly between how women feel when there are more sex shops and lap-dancing clubs — it makes areas no-go areas for women. Cutland cited debunked research by feminist campaigners in the London Borough of Camden which claimed to show that there was a 50% increase in sexual assaults after a rapid expansion of lap-dancing clubs. Of course there is no evidence to support this ridiculous claim and she admitted: Fortunately there have been no recorded incidents of violence or sexual assault in Notts which can be directly linked to these venues but is that because their presence in the city is very limited at present? Police have not recorded any offences against women at any of the three licensed sex venues in the city. These are the sex shops Delta Love in Radford Road and Private Shop, Upper Parliament Street, along with lap dancing club Flirtz, in Friar Lane. The city council is asking people for views on its repressive policy for the venues, saying its preferred option would be for no lap-dancing clubs or sex shops. Barry Maltby, who works at Private Shop, said: I don’t understand why they want it banned, we’re not harming anybody. I can’t understand what we’ve done wrong. What’s next, bookies, nightclubs and pubs? The council has got no idea what we do here. I think they live in another world. There’s lots of nice customers come in here, the days of rain macs have gone, it’s couples that come in. The council’s consultation survey is available on its website and closes next Friday, February 22. The Council plans to finalise its policy by May 2013.

Justifying Suffocatingly Expensive Sex Shop Licences…Westminster Council launches appeal so as to be able to continue overcharging for sex shop licenses

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See article from independent.co.uk

Local authorities are mounting a legal challenge so as to be able to continue using inflated sex shop licence fees as revenue to fund their pet projects. Westminster City Council, backed by 15 other councils from across the country, has launched a Court of Appeal application expected to be of widespread importance. The council is challenging a High Court declaration that a European directive requires that licence fees should reflect administration charges, and not be used as a source of revenue. In the current case under consideration, legitimate sex shop proprietors in Westminster are being asked to bear the cost of enforcement against unlicensed shops via inflated fees around the ฃ 30,000 mark. Prior to the introduction of the 2009 Provision of Services Regulations under the Directive, reasonable enforcement costs were allowed under the 1982 Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act. Council chiefs claim domestic laws that allowed the use of fees for policing purposes are being overridden by EU legislation in a way that could open the floodgates for illegal sex shops . They argue that controlling the sex trade in UK cities should be a matter for local councils, not Brussels . Other local authorities fear that, unless Westminster wins its case, other licence fees, currently be levied above the cost of administration, could be effected including the licensing of markets and street trading. The High Court declaration under challenge had been won by the proprietors of 13 sex shops, of which 11 were in Soho and two in nearby Covent Garden. The court found that Westminster Council was massively overcharging for licences and was not setting the fees according to the cost of administration as required by the European directive.

Stewart Jackson MP and Prude…A shameful whinge at Peterborough’s Ann Summers

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See  article from  peterboroughtoday.co.uk

Peterborough MP Stewart Jackson has whinged about Ann Summers’ Summer of Sex promotion which invited customers to dress up in bikinis to get free swimwear and to eat ice creams covered in different flavour lubricants. The nationwide promotion prompted a complaint by one of Jackson’s constituents. The MP wrote to the company got a reply from the firm’s brand director Fiona Davis saying that, in light of his letter, the promotion was being totally withdrawn. The prudish Jackson spewed: I’m not a prude but… I feel that when one of my constituents complains to me that they found this inappropriate then I have a duty to act. I don’t wish to affect the company’s business and I wish them well …BUT.. .I personally found the promotion tacky and distasteful. When you consider that this promotion was being advertised in store windows up and down the country, many impressionable young children were getting a wrong impression. From a political point of view you can’t going around spending thousands of pounds trying to prevent teen pregnancies and then turn a blind eye to a campaign promoting sex.

Extortionate Sex Shop License Fees Set to be Reduced…High court judge finds that sex shop licence fees should be limited to just the administration costs to the council, (and not include London Beautification costs for the Olympics)

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See article from huffingtonpost.co.uk

Sex shop owners have won a High Court victory over licensing fees which could see them claw back an estimated ฃ1 million. A judge has ruled that Westminster City Council unlawfully used licence fee income to enforce against illegal sex shops. Mr Justice Keith declared that a recently introduced European directive did not permit the determination of a reasonable licence fee to include the costs of enforcement. Tony Devenish, the council’s Cabinet member for licensing and public health, spouted: Naturally we are disappointed at this decision, which we intend to appeal. Westminster City Council has always maintained that the use of licence fee income to enforce against illegal sex shops is a proper use of public money, protecting the quality of life for our residents and visitors, including the global reputation of London. Enforcing against the illegal sex trade actually benefits those who are legitimate operators in the sex industry. With millions of extra visitors about to descend on London to celebrate the Jubilee and Olympics, it is critical people see the best face of our city. The landmark ruling was a victory for Simply Pleasure Ltd and six other long-standing licensees of 11 sex shops in London’s Soho and two others in Covent Garden and the West End selling adult sex toys, DVDs, and books and magazines. The judge said that in the past the cost of enforcing the licensing system was often reflected in the licence fee. But in 2009 new regulations were introduced to implement EU Directive 2006/123/EC, which was aimed at creating a free and competitive market for services within the European Union. The judge said that whatever domestic law had permitted in the past, the directive did not allow the licence fee to exceed the administrative costs covering the steps which an applicant for a licence has to take if he wishes to be granted a licence or to have his licence renewed. The judge said: The fact that the council has preferred over the years to use the licence fee to charge the operators of sex establishments for enforcing the system does not affect the proper interpretation of the 2009 regulations. For all these reasons, therefore, I have concluded that since the year beginning February 1 2010 the council has not been permitted, when determining the reasonable licence fee for sex establishments, to reflect the fee which it determines the costs of enforcing the system.