An influential 2003 report on lap-dancing and striptease in Camden, London by an organisation called The Lilith Project drew links between an increasing number of lap-dancing clubs and a higher incidence of rape in the area - an increase of 50% since 1999, in which time seven new lap-dancing venues opened for business.
Of course, statistics like these provide no concrete evidence of a link between lap-dancing and increased violence or negative attitudes towards women as such, but they nonetheless explain why the huge rise of lap-dancing venues in recent years is causing so much widespread concern.
Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods, MP for Durham, explains why she thinks the current law needs reform.
"My own unfortunate experience in Durham outlines all too clearly the need for the Bill. In August 2007, the city council approved an application, despite record objections, for a lap-dancing club on the main thoroughfare into the city, adjacent to the bus station and on the main route from the railway station, and in very close proximity to our wonderful cathedral and world heritage site. The city council appeared to dismiss objectors as moralists, even though the objectors in the main stopped arguing on the basis of the four licensing objectives. The decision to grant a licence to a lap-dancing club in that location caused outrage in the local community."
An application made by residents to block a particular Premises Licence application must demonstrate that the establishment will prove detrimental to four main concerns, as defined in the 2003 Licensing Act. These are:
- The prevention of crime and disorder
- Public safety
- The prevention of public nuisance
- The protection of children from harm
Specific requirements for blocking a licence vary according to the relevant local authority, but if concerned parties can demonstrate negative effects on the local area based on the criteria above, their actions can potentially succeed. Successful, or partially successful, blocks on the granting of licenses to lap-dancing clubs have been made by, or are under consideration from, local authorities in Southwark, Durham and York, and by residents' associations in Newham, Wandsworth and Blackpool. But the legalese does indeed mean that, until the law is changed at least, opposition to clubs finds itself struggling. When classed as entertainment venues, the clubs do not carry the immediate social concerns that they would as sex encounter venues.
