Touched by Moralism…Miserable police crow about a fine for allowing proper lap dancing

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See press release from devon-cornwall.police.uk

Licensees are warned following the conviction of Tony Bowman for knowingly allowing hands-on lap dancing to take place in breach of miserable licensing conditions. The case centred on the operation of the Divas Lap Dancing Club during 2011 up until the premises licence was revoked by Plymouth City Council Licensing Sub-Committee in January 2012. The supposed offences centred around a condition on the premises licence which prohibited Any form of Physical contact between the customer and the dancer… Acting Inspector Martin Worthington of Force Alcohol Licensing and Crime Reduction Team said: This is not the first time an adult entertainment establishment has fallen foul of conditions prohibiting physical contact between dancers and customers. We work in partnership with Licensees to ensure that business operate so as to promote the licensing objectives. We make regular checks to ensure that all licence holders adhere to the conditions of the premises licence and where appropriate the police Local Authority and other responsible authorities are prepared to take further action to ensure these standards are maintained including utilsing the Criminal Justice System where appropriate. Bowman was sentenced to an £ 800 fine, £ 620 costs and £ 15 victim surcharge including the forfeiture of his personal licence.

Licensed to Preach…East Bedfordshire Council consults on a morality policy of nil adult businesses

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See article from aboutmyarea.co.uk See council consultation page from centralbedfordshire.gov.uk Consultation runs until 30th August See consultation document [pdf] from centralbedfordshire.gov.uk See online consultation response from centralbedfordshire.gov.uk

A ‘nil policy’ that would ban the licensing of sex establishments in the town centres of Central Bedfordshire is out for public consultation from 10th June. Central Bedfordshire Council cite a telephone survey of 1,123 residents resulting in 63% of respondents saying they did not believe licences for sexual entertainment venues should be granted in their local area. More specifically, the results revealed that at least 80% of respondents were opposed to sex entertainment venues operating in the vicinity of religious buildings, schools, residential areas and places frequented by children and families. The council has proposed a new morality policy that would ban licences for sex establishments being granted within 500m of more or less anywhere frequented by childre. Councillor Brian Spurr said: As part of our aim to make Central Bedfordshire a great place to live and work, we’re keen to ensure the character of our towns are preserved and that our high streets remain places where all members of the public feel safe and keen to spend time. This draft policy demonstrates our commitment to protecting families and that we’ve listened to residents’ opinions given in the telephone survey. We now want to consult the public more widely, to understand their views on whether the level of strictness of the draft policy is appropriate. The consultation period runs between Monday, 10 June and Friday, 30 August 2013. Currently there are four premises in Central Bedfordshire that require a sex establishment license: Waterside Bar in Leighton Buzzard Shayler’s in Ampthill, previously reported as reverting to a standard nightclub Happy Lovers/Adult Pit Stop. A licensed sex shop in Sandy Secrets Lingerie. A licensed sex shop in Dunstable The feedback from the consultation will be presented to the Licensing Committee on Friday, 6 September 2013, where a final decision will be made.

Morality Bullshit…Leeds council ludicrously claims that the name ‘Tantric Blue’ could cause ‘moral or psychological harm’ to children

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See article from yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk

A proposed new name for a Leeds table dancing club could inflict moral or psychological harm on children, licensing officials ludicrously claim. Owners of the Black Diamond club, on New Briggate in the city centre, have applied to Leeds City Council to double the size of the premises, from two floors to four. They also want to rename it Tantric Blue . But the council’s own licensing department has now criticised the application — because the suggested new name would undermine the requirement to protect children from harm. In a letter of objection, the department spewed: Whilst ‘Tantric’ is linked to spiritualism and certain religious practices, for the purpose of a lap dancing venue it takes on another interpretation and associates the premises with sexual practice. The licensing authority is of the opinion that the name of the premises has the potential to cause moral and/or psychological harm to children as well as offence and embarrassment to parents when visiting the city with children. The sub-committee is due to make a decision at a meeting on 10th June.

Significant Majority Oppose Sex Business Ban in Nottingham…Nottingham consultation responses show 35% say there are too many table dancing clubs/sex shops, whilst 61% are happy with current number or would like to see more

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See article from sevlicensing.wordpress.com See Consultation Details from nottinghamcity.gov.uk See Consultation Results: Summary Report [doc] from nottinghamcity.gov.uk

Nottingham City Council has consulted over policy of a nil limit for SEVs and sex shops in the city (where there is currently one club and one sex shop). There were 1395 responses to the consultation with over a 1000 of these coming after a high profile call for a ban by the Nottingham Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner. The first questions asks for opinions about the current number of clubs and shops in Nottingham: Table Dancing Clubs: 35% too many 27% about right 34% too few 4% don’t know Sex shops: 31% too many 36% about right 30% too few 3% don’t know Only 30-31% felt that a nil limit would have a positive effect on Nottingham, whilst 44-47% felt that it would have a negative effect. Another shows there is some concern about imposing a nil limit, with a minority supporting the City’s proposal:

Strip Pubs Are Found to be Immoral in a Rural Setting…The Harp in East Peckham, Tonbridge is refused a licence to provide striptease entertainment

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See article from sevlicensing.wordpress.com

The rural pub, The Harp in East Peckham near Tonbridge, has been offering striptease entertainment for around six years, with little opposition. However, with the introduction of the new licensing regime in the borough, the licensee applied for a licence which resulted in 43 objections. The complaints were the usual boolox about sexualisation and effects the visibility of such clubs have on children and that such entertainment is out of place in a quiet village , and attracts an undesirable clientele. Details of the reasons for the bar are to follow but it seems that these will be along the lines that striptease is immoral in a rural setting.

The Highlands is not Camden…Hush nightclub in Inverness applies for a table dancing licence

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See article from heraldscotland.com

Regular table dancing could be brought to the Highlands by an Inverness nightclub, Hush, that has applied for a table dancing licence. The club is being backed by owners of lap dancing clubs in Aberdeen. The application will be decided by members of the Highland Licensing Board next week. Gender extremists are inevitably opposing the move, but the report from the Licensing Standards Officer (LSO) to the board is supportive of the application. It said: Hush is a popular city-centre nightclub in Inverness. It has a trouble-free operating history and on several occasions when it has been inspected by the LSO there has been a high standard of compliance. If the application is approved, there would be a list of strict conditions that would prevent performers being totally naked, performing in private booths or being touched or touching the club’s patrons during their performance, with the report adding the only contact allowed being the hand-to-hand payment of money at the conclusion of the performance . The Highland Violence Against Women Strategy Group is opposing the licence. The group includes representatives of NHS Highland, Police Scotland, the Highland Council, Women’s Aid and Rape and Abuse Line. The group has lodged a an objection citing debunked research from Camden. The objection claimed: There is a large body of evidence showing that ‘adult entertainment’ can increase crime and disorder in the areas in which it takes place. A number of reports have concluded that where ‘adult entertainment’ exists, particularly in the form of lap dancing clubs, incidents of sexual violence have increased within those communities, as have women’s expressed levels of fear of travelling at night within the areas. The official report going before licensing board members disputes the picture painted and the risks of such a licence being granted in Inverness. It said: The cited background research is quoted in generic terms and cannot be tied in reasonable terms to the circumstances prevailing in the Highland capital and more specifically to this application.

Saturated with Moralism…Manchester Council proposes to ban further adult businesses with an unresearched and vague notion that further licences may saturate the market

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Thanks to Cat See article from manchestereveningnews.co.uk See council consultation from manchester.gov.uk with written responses accepted until 14th June 2013

Manchester Council licensing moralists want to automatically ban any new licence applications for sex shops or entertainment venues , saying enough is enough. Currently there are four sex shops and seven clubs in the centre of Manchester. A plan by the council, currently out to consultation, would see a ban on further licences being granted. The council have obviously been legally briefed and have avoided citing moral reasons for the ban. They have opted for a claim that the market is ‘saturated’ and that further venues may impact the profitability and viability of existing businesses. However this is unlikely as a a complete ban would be a very inflexible way of achieving this end. If the council were genuinely considering the interests of businesses surely this would be better served with applications being considered on a case by case basis with the impact on other businesses being one of the considerations. A report on the proposed curb vaguely speculates that: It is considered that further sex establishments ‘might’ lead to a saturation of premises within the city centre. Problems of saturation and enhanced competition ‘might potentially’ lead to undesirable competitive practices arising between premises. It seems strange that the council are citing such vagueness. One would think that they would have properly researched the profitability of existing businesses before jumping to such conclusions. Currently no sex premises are allowed outside the city centre, while those that do open must be in an appropriate location. The proposed ban is out for public consultation until June 14.

Hauled Over the Coals by the PC Gestapo…Nigel Farange question about enjoying a visit to a table dancing club

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See article from guardian.co.uk

The PC ideology gestapo have been laying into Ukip leader, Nigel Farage after it emerges that party candidate owns the Urban Tiger table dancing club in Northampton. In an interview on Wednesday with BBC Radio 5 Live’s breakfast show, Farage, who has traded on his flamboyant and outspoken image, said it was nonsense that he had frequented and enjoyed lap-dancing clubs in the past but admitted going to one once unintentionally. He said: I was taken once unwittingly and I did say that I wasn’t appalled by it. I did quite like it. What you want me to say? I hated it? Back in February, Farage was accused by the then Ukip MEP Marta Andreasen of being anti-women . In the interview he was asked whether his comment confirmed Andreasen’s unflattering portrayal of him before she quit the party and defected to the Tories. He replied: That’s really rather silly. I have to tell you, if I’d been anti-women, then the whole of my adult life would have been just that much simpler.

Inappropriate Moralising…Cheshire East Council refuses to renew licence for table dancing club citing only the moral reason of ‘inappropriateness’

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See article from wilmslow.co.uk

Cheshire East Council has refused to renew a licence application for the table dancing club in the town of Wilmslow. The Council has rejected the application the twelve month sexual entertainment venue licence for the ST Lounge, which Van Leisure Ltd has operated in Wilmslow since 2009. The General Licensing Sub-Committee considered the application by Van Leisure on 9th April, during a meeting which lasted seven hours. The refusal was made on the moralistic grounds that it would be an ‘inappropriate’ use of the premises given its location on a shopping street like Grove Street. It was also deemed ‘inappropriate’ because the location contains a significant number of residential properties in streets adjacent to Grove Street, as well as St Teresa’s Catholic Church and Wilmslow Prep School. Other sensitive premises were identified within the vicinity including Wilmslow High School, The Leisure Centre, St Bartholomew’s Church, Wilmslow Methodist Church and the United Reformed Church. Richard Williams, Managing Director from LR Law, who provided legal representation against the venue said: Other than via Judicial Review to the High Court, there is no right of appeal against this decision and the club will now have to stop providing sexual entertainment immediately. However the option for a Judicial Review could be very attractive. An article from woodswhur.co.uk was published after Leeds Council considered refusing to renew table dancing licenses: The article noted that an existing licence is consider in law as a protected possession in human rights law: It has been accepted that a licence is classed as a possession capable of protection under Article 1 of the First Protocol of the European Convention on Human Rights. This clearly states that a person has a right to peaceful enjoyment of his possessions and the case of Tre Traktorer Aktiebolag v Sweden (1989) 13 EHRR classifies a licence as something capable of protection. Not something that can councils can take away on a moralist or feminist whim. Secondly there are European requirements imported into UK law that impose standard conditions on councils when considering licence applications: The Provision of Services Regulations [S.I. 2009/2999]. Regulation 24(1) imposes three important tests highlighting that any refusal must be: Non discriminatory Necessary Proportionate Surely this would allow failed applicants to ask a court ‘exactly how necessary was it for a council to refuse a license for a venue near a shopping centre or church where the operating hours don’t overlap?’

Oops! Wrong Location…Poster for London table dancing club too sexy for the advert censors

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See article from asa.org.uk

A billboard poster promoting a gentleman’s club stated Bar & Club … Club Oops …! Corporate Gentleman’s Entertainment … Attitude & Class Does Matter …! … http://www.cluboops.co.uk . The ad included images of women in negative. One woman was shown in her underwear and another was naked with her body in profile. The ad also showed an image of a naked woman from the waist down with underwear pulled down around her thighs. Issue Three complainants challenged whether the ad was offensive, demeaning to women and unsuitable for public display where it could be seen by children. Club Spice Ltd t/a Club Oops spoke to the ASA by telephone and said they believed that their agency, which had designed the ad and chosen the locations where it was displayed, was at fault. They said they would remove the poster and assumed that would resolve the matter ASA Assessment: Complaints upheld The ASA acknowledged that Club Oops intended to remove the ad from the site in question. We noted that one woman was shown in her underwear and the other two women were shown naked, one in profile and one from the waist down with her underwear around her thighs. We considered that the poses of all three women, and in particular the image of the woman from the waist down, were provocative and likely to be seen as sexually suggestive. In addition, we considered that a number of consumers were likely to believe that the image of just the lower half of a woman was unduly explicit and degrading to women. We considered that the ad was overtly sexual in nature and was likely to cause serious and widespread offence. We therefore concluded that the ad was unsuitable for public display, especially where it could be seen by children. The ad breached CAP Code rules 1.3 (Responsible advertising) and 4.1 (Harm and offence). Action The ad must not appear again in its current form.