4th July 2008

STRIP CLUB BACKLASH?

Plans to build a 1,000 capacity lap-dancing super club in Leeds town centre have been condemned by a member of the City Council.

Keith Wakefield, leader of the Labour Group, told the Yorkshire Evening Post that "the super club will be located right next to the train station. This location is in my view totally inappropriate for this type of club, and does little to promote the city's aim of being family friendly." There are currently eight other lap-dancing clubs in the city.

The comment comes amidst a spate of protests against the establishment of clubs, coming from all over the country. A planned lap-dancing event at the Cowes Week sailing regatta on the Isle of Wight has been condemned by the town's Mayor and councillors, according to The Southern Daily Echo.

And a mother of two in West Sussex has set up a group on the social networking site Facebook, protesting against a recently opened club in her area (visit the group here).

But Simon Pulley, of Wiggle in Bournemouth, says most clubs stick to the rules. "Residents really don't need to worry. Everything is very tightly controlled, and most clubs are confined to city centres."

27th June 2008

JUNIOR GOLFERS GET A BIT OF ROUGH

A Colorado golf club has been inundated with complaints after a youth tournament was interrupted by an influx of strippers.

The girls, taking part in a charity match organised by local strip club Shotgun Willie's, arrived in limosines before the "Junior Clubbers", aged between 7 and 12, had finished their morning event.

The Eagle Trace golf club in Broomfield has apologised to parents after claims that some of the girls were topless and in the club house at the same time as the children.

Evelyn Koch, manager of Eagle Trace, said: "It was mistiming. It wasn't a free-for-all, but I can't tell you the girls didn't flash out there. There was a handful of girls that got a little out of control."

The youth event had been organised by the Gold Crown Junior Golf Association. Director Jim Hunt claimed that Eagle Trace had failed to make it clear that the Junior Clubbers would be followed onto the fairway by adult dancers.

In an email to parents, Mr Hunt said: "The management decided to schedule a second event which included "adult entertainment", during our youth event, and they did not consult with staff nor inform us. This type of activity is totally unacceptable around our programming and we do not condone the type of behvaiour your children may have witnessed today."

Shotgun Willie's Charity Golf Tournament, held every year, pairs patrons of the club with dancers acting as caddies.

20th June 2008

LAP DANCING BILL GETS SECOND READING

Britain’s lap-dancing clubs are one step closer to being re-classified as sex encounter venues, after a Private Members Bill was put forward to a second reading by Parliament.

Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods, MP for Durham, proposed the bill under the ten minute rule on Wednesday morning.

Currently, under the 1982 Local Government Act, lap-dancing clubs can only be classified as sex encounter venues in London, while the 2003 Licensing Act counts establishments elsewhere as entertainment venues.

Dr Blackman-Woods told Parliament: “My Bill would amend the 1982 Act by extending the category of sex encounter establishments to outside London, and removing the exemption under the 2003 Act.”

“What is being proposed is really common sense: it was clearly not Parliament’s intention to have lap-dancing clubs treated the same as bars and restaurants,” she said.

If the act is changed, it will become easier for local councils and residents to object to the setting up of clubs.

But the industry itself doesn’t think revisions of the law are necessary. The Lap Dancing Association (LDA), said the government is “in danger of using a sledgehammer to crack a nut”. Spokeswoman Kate Nicholls said: “We don't see that there's any need for re-classification to address the concerns raised.”

The second reading of the bill will be on Friday 17th October.

Read the Hansard transcript of Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods' speech here.

13th June 2008

GOVERNMENT COULD RECONSIDER STRIP CLUB LEGISLATION

The government may consider an investigation of the current licensing laws in regards to lap-dancing clubs, according to a Labour peer.

Lord Bassam told the House of Lords that some local authorities feel existing legislation offers them little control over such establishments, and that they need to be consulted in regards to the law. Depending on feedback, the law could be changed.

"We are in the process of providing additional guidance for local authorities for feedback if they still have concerns. This will tell us if the controls under the Licensing Act are sufficient, or whether we need to do more to protect local communities," he said.

The news comes as increasing pressure from protest groups and local councils, who feel that such clubs should be licensed as "sex encounter" venues, making them easier to regulate.

Under existing legislation, lap-dancing clubs are classed as "entertainment" venues, the same classification as a coffee shop.

MP for Bournemouth East Tobias Ellwood is one of several MPs who have already expressed his concern. Last month he said that: "If we are going to create a community with a positive reputation we need to improve the local authorities with the power to do so. We need to protect the family image that this town has. I fear more of these types of clubs would not help."