UK Sex Sells News

Three lap dancing clubs in Leicester will not be granted new licences after a city council decision.

Lap dancing at the Baby Blue, Panache and Angels clubs is being stopped supposedly because their locations are not considered 'appropriate'.

Platinum Lace in Abbey Street and Spearmint Rhino in Belgrave Gate will be allowed to continue to operate.

The three clubs will only be allowed to stay open if they change their shows so they do not include sexual entertainment , the council said.

Panache is considered close to residential properties in Yeoman Street. Angels is close to community facilities being built by a university, while Baby Blue, in New Bond Street, is close to a shopping centre.

Update: Legal Action

23rd May 2012. From thisisleicestershire.co.uk

A lap-dancing club refused a licence to continue featuring sexual performances has won an appeal against part of the decision.

An application for a sexual event venue licence made by businessman Krzysztof Neumann, who runs Angels was rejected by the city council in December.

Councillors said they were concerned the application was being made on behalf of former owner Jagdeep Singh Bhader, someone to whom they would not grant a licence. They also claimed the location was not appropriate given that a sports centre was being built by De Montfort University in nearby Dun's Lane.

At a hearing this week, Leicester magistrates overturned the first part of the ruling and ordered the council to pay £ 5,000 in costs.

However, a decision on the location appeal has to be made by a high court judge, which is not likely until September. Until the outcome of the second part of the appeal, Mr Neumann is unable to re-employ dancers, but is able to trade as a hostess club.

A lap dance club whose opening offended 'snooty neighbours' in Henley on Thames is to become a jazz club.

Diamonds and Pearls, which opened to nutter protest from residents, church groups, and town councillors, was shut by the police in March. Police reported 106 criminal offences there in under two years.

Owners Leno Borg and Andy Mags had appealed against the closure but this week announced that they had sold the venue to a new owner who will open the first floor as a jazz club, and convert the downstairs into a champagne bar.

Mags, meanwhile, claimed the club had only closed because it had been unfairly targeted by snooty neighhours . He added: I believe that it was just a few people who didn't want the club there. It is a political thing. The club itself didn't draw criminals, it drew the opposite. A lot of the incidents didn't deal directly with the club.

Internet users have been warned about a scam message claiming to be from Scottish police asking to pay a fine for viewing illegal content.

Strathclyde Police said officers were aware of a number of incidents where a pop-up window appeared, telling users their machine had been locked.

The message claims they have been viewing illegal material including violent and child porn. It then asks users to pay a £ 100 fine over the phone.

The force said this was an online scam and that inquiries were under way. A spokesman said:

We would like to assure the public that this is an internet scam and has absolutely nothing to do with Strathclyde Police, and that our organisation never asks the public for money.

We would urge the public not to follow the instructions on screen or call the number given or send any money.

Officers are currently carrying out numerous and extensive inquires to trace the source of this scam and would also ask that anyone who has received this scam pop-up on their computer to contact their local police office as soon as possible.

Peter reports that he experienced the pop-up on xvideos.com, and adds that the computer did in fact seem to be locked up. However it was cleared by a reboot. Presumably the scammers have found a way to crash a PC.

Two Leicester lap dancing clubs are facing objections to their applications for licences.

There are currently five such clubs running in the city and their applications are to be discussed by Leicester City Council's licensing committee next week. Council officials have recommended licences be granted to three of the clubs after they received no complaints about them.

De Montfort University has objected to a licence being granted for Angels in New Park Street because it is opposite to where its new leisure centre is currently being built, in Dun's Lane. It says it wants the new centre to be used by the wider community as well as students and it does not want it to be near a lap dancing club.

A university spokesman spewed:

The proximity of the Angels Club to the entrance of the new leisure centre causes the potential for conflicting uses and heightens the possibility of sensitivities arising between the users of each building. For this reason, the university objects to the application for a sexual entertainment licence in this location.

One Angels Club customer pointed out:

I'm not sure it is fair that the club has been there for years and the university hasn't finished building the sports centre yet but it is still objecting. If the university doesn't like the fact they are near a lap dancing club, they should have built their sports centre somewhere else.

Residents in Yeoman Street, near Panache, have conjured a similarly spurious objection. One nutter from the Fabric building block of flats next to the club, wrote:

The venue currently functions as a lap dancing club which, in itself, is not ideal in a residential area. Although the venue is in the town centre, residential properties have been built directly next door and in close proximity to the venue.

City council's licensing team manager Rachel Hall said:

Our new licensing policy for sex entertainment venues says they should not be in areas near residential properties or community facilities. Of course, it will be down to the councillors to decide whether to grant any of the licences.

Comment: De Mented University

9th December 2011. From Alan

This is utterly ridiculous. Hasn't De Mented University got anything better to do? You get the same kind of idiocy from people who move into red light areas and then whinge about the tarts. Come to think of it, there also the pillocks who move in opposite a fourteenth century church and then moan that their Sunday morning lie-in is disturbed by loud clanging noises from the bell tower.

The Qube bar in the nightclub district of Norwich could be run as a daytime salon with topless stylists. Rebecca Bird wants permission from Norwich City Council for change of use.

And of course nutters of Norwich are suitably 'outraged'.

Gary Thompson, of GT barbers near Qube, said: I think it's an absolutely ludicrous idea and I've been speaking to the hairdressing industry here in Norwich and everyone thinks it's ludicrous and hopes it doesn't get the go ahead. I think it's a gimmick - I can't see the connection between barbering and nudity.

A Facebook group, Against Topless Barbers in Norwich, has also been set up. It claims the salon would damage nearby businesses, negatively change the street's daytime trade and reduce potential business growth.

An anonymous objection submitted to the council states: I believe it will cater to society's lowest common denominator. I believe that any women working there will be at risk from some customers who will infer that they are up for anything. Norwich people should not have to put up with constant erosion of standards of public decency.

Comments can be made on the proposals until 14 December.

A Rochester pub is fighting to carry on having strip shows in the face of opposition from local residents, including it's miserable local MP, Mark Reckless.

He is objecting to the application from Charlotte's Bar for a sexual entertainment licence . He is one of five residents who have written to Medway Council opposing the bid by the former Queen Charlotte pub in the High Street, which has offered lap dancing for six years.

The cliche ridden Rochester and Strood MP claimed the shows were inappropriate because of Rochester's heritage and the pub's closeness to the King's School, Rochester Independent College and the Rochester Community Hub. He said:

I wouldn't say I hold strong views and I'm not leading any general campaign against lap dancing. It will be decided by councillors, not me. ...[BUT]... I did think it was appropriate for me to make a representation, given the strength of feeling of the views that have been given to me.

Nutter resident Mandy Comber said Star Hill and New Road were well-known as the red light area of Rochester and wrote to oppose the plans. She added: Earlier this year I was subjected to an incident outside my home where two drunken men screamed sexual expletives. How will Medway Council ensure that customers frequenting a show for sexual titillation do not then behave in an unacceptable manner when they leave?

Update: Licence Granted

9th December 2011. See  article from  strip-magazine.com

Charlottes Bar in Rochester Kent which has been having strip shows for 6 years was also granted a licence in November though an idiotic clause requires all dancers to have CRB checks.

Striptease artist Phyllis Dixey's revues at the Whitehall Theatre in London were legendary, circa 1940. She was a pioneering performer whose daring routine pushed back the boundaries of public decency in 1940s Britain.

But a plan to honour Phyllis Dixey, the first stripper to appear in London's West End, with an English Heritage blue plaque has met with resistance from pathetic whingers that personify middle England.

English Heritage wants to place the plaque outside Dixey's former home in an art deco mansion block in Surbiton. However, the plan has run into opposition from residents of Wentworth Court concerned about the attention the plaque would bring to the building.

Dixey, a music hall entertainer, lived in the block during the late 1930s, just before she found fame as the Queen of Striptease . Her early shows attracted the attentions of police and authorities but were eventually tolerated and her performances at the Whitehall Theatre became a fixture of wartime and post-war London.

The wording of the proposed plaque is: Phyllis Dixey 1914 to 1964, Striptease Artiste lived here in flat number 15.

English Heritage has contacted all residents in the block to get permission, but they have so far refused to grant it.

The residents' association has suggested to English Heritage a different form of words, such as burlesque dancer - but its request has been turned down, on the grounds that burlesque describes an American tradition.

Nigel Bruce, the head of the residents' association, said: Eyebrows were raised when it was discussed at the AGM. Part of the concern was the title that they were thinking of putting on the plaque. It would certainly raise the eyebrows of passers-by. He added: We have asked if there is any other wording we could have in its place.

One resident opposed to the plaque said: The word striptease leads you to a certain visual image. I know that is her history ...BUT... I would want it to be said in the nicest way possible. People would go 'It's the stripper building.'

Dixey's family are also opposed to the plan, saying the current wording gives a unfortunate impression of their relative. They are also calling for English Heritage to change the wording.

Oliver Dixey, whose grandfather was the dancer's brother, said: It has upset some of the family. To be fair, she was a stripper. There are no bones about it. ...BUT... we would prefer for her to be called a fan dancer.

English Heritage's blue plaques panel, which includes Stephen Fry, the broadcaster, shows no signs of backing down. Minutes from a meeting say: Having revisited the various options, the team remained confident that the original proposed inscription offered the most accurate description of Dixey's occupation and should be retained.

A Newquay lap-dancing bar has become the first in Cornwall to gain a new licence to provide sexual entertainment. Wild Cherry, on Beach Road, was granted a new Sexual Entertainment Venue  licence by Cornwall Council's Miscellaneous Licensing Committee.

However, the decision has prompted an angry response by nutters, who are opposed to the lap-dancing industry in their town. Wild Cherry's licence application received 81 letters of objection from the public.

Newquay police were also against the application, stating that the Koola Bar, which is part of Wild Cherry and the Chy Bar, failed a test purchase when bouncers allowed a 15- and 16-year-old in and allowed them to buy two bottles of beer. Police claimed that this was demonstrative of poor management. Police also objected to the application on unlikely grounds of crime and disorder as well as cliched 'inappropriate' location.

Lyndon Harrison, chairman of the Chamber of Commerce, Leisure and Tourism, supported the application: This type of business is absolutely necessary for Newquay to be able to compete with other towns and cities around the country .

Nutters are now demanding answers from Cornwall Council and questioning the procedure used in awarding the licence. Dave Sleeman, chairman of Newquay Town Residents' Association, has written to the council's chief executive Kevin Lavery and its leader Alec Robertson declaring the committee not fit for purpose .

Wild Cherry's adult entertainment licence will come into force on January 1, 2012, and allow it to open from 10pm to 4am between Thursday and Saturday.

Plans to put a cap on the number of sex shops and lapdancing clubs in the city were thrown out by councillors. Instead they have decided each application should be judged on case-by-case merit.

At a meeting of the general purposes licensing committee, it was agreed that the capping proposals would be fraught with difficulty.

Julian Alison, licensing team leader, said the approved draft sex establishment licensing policy will now go out to public consultation.

The draft policy will go out to public consultation from November 14, to December 31 and responses will be considered by the committee when it meets again on February 22, 2012.

S4C has been accused of courting viewers of trash TV after it emerged the Welsh-language channel was planning a documentary about a hardcore pornography actress.

In a list of forthcoming commissions posted on its website, the broadcaster includes a show about Llanelli-born porn star Sophie Dee, who is now based in California. Ms Dee has appeared in 300 pornographic films and has won several industry awards.

However this fine piece of programming has been questioned by miserable politicians.

Welsh Labour AM Jenny Rathbone said:

It seems a pretty desperate move by S4C to plan to commission tasteless shows such as these. I'm sure S4C's viewers do not want to see Wales' own channel spiral into trash television programming.

Suzy Davies, the Shadow Minister for Welsh Language and Culture, said:

S4C has a public service obligation to provide comprehensive programming that should, at times, be thought-provoking and questioning. However, many viewers will rightly question whether documentaries about hardcore pornography, funded by taxpayers, are a priority for public interest and likely to appeal to a wide audience.

Plaid Cymru Heritage spokeswoman Bethan Jenkins said:

I don't know yet what kind of film S4C is planning to make. If it is designed to be titillating, a kind of lad's mag approach, then that would be a complete waste of public money. On the other hand, a serious- minded, journalistic inquiry into the adult entertainment industry is well within the remit of a channel committed to providing a quality view of the world.

But kudos to Welsh Liberal Democrat Heritage spokesman Peter Black who said:

My view is that it is not the role of politicians to dictate to TV companies what programmes they choose to air. S4C is heavily regulated and no doubt anybody who takes offence at this programme will take advantage of that to make complaints to the appropriate body.

An S4C spokesman said:

We have noted clearly in our Vision 2012 our aim to provide interesting, diverse and exciting programmes and content, which explore and reflect all aspects of Welsh life. We will offer content that is original, inventive and attractive. At times we will offer material that is challenging and contemporary, and this means that we will have to push the boundaries and take risks.

A move to drive a single lap dancing venue out of Cambridge could cost taxpayers £ 30,000. That is the estimated price tag for consultation and research to produce 'evidence' to support the prohibition, backed by morality councillors.

The cost has already provoked criticism from a campaign group which wants prohibition and claims that the clubs objectify women and also claim an increase in the tiny risk of them being assaulted. Norah Al-Ani, development officer at Cambridge Rape Crisis Centre, claimed her organisation had already provided extensive information so there was no lack of evidence.

In June the city council's licensing committee was told it could decide the number of venues it thought appropriate for a relevant locality and therefore listed all the wards in the city and selected the maximum for each as zero.

However, the move was rightfully condemned as a transparent attempt to get round the law and, in a report to the committee, head of environment Jas Lally says other areas which have taken a hard line had carried out lengthy research. He says: There is currently no factual evidence available about the composition or nature of all the relevant factors that may need to be taken into account locally. There is currently no clear and researched evidence to support the view that it would be in the best interests of those living and working in the city to adopt a 'nil policy' in respect of the number of licensed sexual entertainment venues.

Committee vice-chairman Cllr Colin Rosenstiel said members would have to consider whether the issue was a sufficient priority in straightened financial times .

Update: Nil policy voted down

31st October 2011. From  cambridge-news.co.uk

Licensing chiefs have ruled out limiting lap dancing clubs in Cambridge.

City councillors had previously agreed to consult on a draft policy saying the maximum number of venues in each ward should be zero. However, the licensing committee heard research and consultation on this maximum would cost £ 30,000, and there were also concerns about the legality of such an approach.

Despite representations from women's groups, councillors voted to implement a previously proposed policy that does not include the zero limit. However it does state the venues will not normally be allowed near homes, schools or churches.

Afterwards Norah Al-Ani, of Cambridge Rape Crisis Centre, told the News she was absolutely horrified : This is incredibly disappointing, not just in terms of participating in the local democratic process, but also in terms of its implications for Cambridge's attitude towards making this a safe, comfortable city for everyone to live in.

Plans to open Eye Candy lap dancing club have been described as exploitive to women and as bringing the wrong values into Accrington town centre by nutters of the cloth.

Accrington Reverend Kevin Logan described it as bringing the wrong values into the town. [wrong values like making money and having fun].

The Bishop of Burnley, John Goddard, added that the plans exploit women: These sorts of establishments send the wrong message about women. I think women are worth more. I think all people are worth more than that.

Reverend John Binks at Accrington's St Johns with St Augustines Church said: These plans do make me uncomfortable. I don't think women should be exploited and I don't think men should be encouraged to exploit them. I think men are the weaker sex in these situations and are led into treating women as sex objects.

The proposals to open Eye Candy lap dancing bar has been granted a Sexual Entertainment Venue licence, but has yet to be granted an alcohol licence or planning permission.

Blackpool council's licensing committee look set to rule up to 4 lap-dancing clubs will be allowed to operate in Blackpool in future.

When the policy was first put together 6 months ago, the then ruling Conservatives suggested the number of lap-dancing and striptease clubs be limited to 2.

But under the new Labour administration, it is being recommended up to 4 are allowed. However each application will be considered on its own merit, meaning other licences could still be allowed.

Councillor Norman Hardy, chairman of Blackpool Council's public protection sub-committee, said:

I feel if you are going to have a certain number, then you have to have a reasonable number.

You aren't going to be able to ban them, they will just go underground.

I believe it's better to have these clubs properly licensed and controlled rather than going underground and operating under their own rules.

There are currently 5 clubs with lap dancing operating in Blackpool

Blackpool's 'public protection' sub-committee will consider the new policy on Thursday October 20.

Update: Limited Fun in Blackpool

28th October 2011. From blackpoolgazette.co.uk

Proposals to allow up to four lap-dancing clubs to operate in Blackpool have been agreed, but venues will have to comply with miserable rules. Nudity will continue to be banned while customers must sit down throughout performances and will be forbidden from touching dancers. Clubs will have to adhere to a total of 47 licensing conditions which also include strict controls on publicising premises.

Blackpool Council's Maoist sounding 'public protection' sub-committee agreed a new policy covering sex entertainment venues which will come into force from May next year.

Previously a limit of 2 clubs was proposed but the new Labour administration recommended up to four are allowed. However each application will be considered on its own merit, meaning other licences could still be allowed. There are currently seven lap-dancing clubs operating in Blackpool.

Councillor Paul Galley claimed the move would be damaging to Blackpool's reputation as a family resort: I think this would send out the wrong message - that Blackpool is becoming sleazy.

But Councillor Chris Maughan said as long as venues were discreet and complied with the rules, he believed they should be allowed: In Blackpool these venues are going to be highly regulated. If we do the right thing as a council and have the legislation in place, I don't think it will be detrimental to Blackpool at all.

Mark Marshall, licensing and health and safety manager at Blackpool Council, said existing lap-dancing clubs were generally well run in the town: They suffer a lot less anti-social behaviour and a lot less crime. There is a lot more sit down drinking and the violence, crime and other issues associated with town centre premises don't appear in these premises.

Sounds like the best thing about Blackpool will continue to be its fish and chips.

Halos Gentlemen's Club in Newquay has been told it must stop its lap dancing after breaking miserable council rules.

Cornwall Council refused to renew an adult entertainment licence after complaints that dancers were getting closer than the 3ft (1m) allowed.

The club's owner said he was considering an appeal. In the meantime he planned to continue trading as an ordinary nightclub.

Denise Mutton, chairman of the licensing sub-committee, who saw CCTV footage of the lap dancers, said: We saw several incidents of dancers crossing the line over a two day period.

A new research project into the impact lap-dancing clubs have on cities in the UK is to be conducted by the University of Kent in Canterbury. It hopes to provide the first evidence of how the sexualisation of nightlife impacts of particular social groups.

Professor Phil Hubbard, of the university's school of social policy, sociology and social research, is working with Dr Rachela Colosi, of the University of Lincoln, on the research project which is being funded via a £ 117,839 grant from the Economic and Social Research Council.

Professor Hubbard, who has previously researched the regulation of prostitution and sex work, said:

Clubs offering sexual entertainment have become increasingly widespread over the last decade.

This will be the first study of the ways in which the sexualisation of nightlife creates feelings of discomfort among particular social groups.

While recent changes in licensing laws mean councils finally have the power to respond to local concerns about lap dancing clubs, there remain many misconceptions about the clientele of such venues and their affect on local communities.

No one has explored the impact lap dancing clubs have on the nightlife of British cities and this research will help those responsible for issuing licenses make better informed decisions.

The 12-month study titled Sexualisation, nuisance and safety: sexual entertainment venues and the management of risk , will culminate in a workshop for licensing officers and community safety groups.

Businessman Jimmy Marr wants to change the use of Mangos Nightclub in Dundee into a lap dancing venue.

It is good to report that for once the local church is relaxed about the move.

The Rev Jeremy Auld of St Paul's Cathedral, a few hundred yards away, said he won't object to the venture, providing workers do not feel exploited. He told The Courier:

If this is an organisation that treats those who want to work in that environment in the right way then I am not going to stand against that. If it is something that people want to do then it's not for me to cast judgment on them.

But of course it was a very different message from women campaigners demanding an equally  miserable life for all.

Mary Miller from Dundee Women's Aid said:

It is not adult entertainment but violence against women which promotes inequality of women.

DWA is committed to tackling the inequality in society of women. We promote the rights of women, children and young people who have experienced domestic abuse and lap dancing is yet another form of violence against women in society.

The organisation claims lap dancing venues normalise men's sexual objectification of women as well as attract higher levels of crime.

A decision on the planning application is due to be made by November 28. If approved, the applicant will then seek approval from the licensing board.

London's approaching Erotica sex fair has backed down from using a 'Strictly' theme after the BBC threatened to take legal action.

The show had been billed as Strictly Erotica and promotional material featured two former professional dancers from Strictly Come Dancing posing under a glitter ball, which is famously used in the BBC1 show.

Amendments to the website suggest that the theme will now be 'Striply Erotica'. But it seems that the theme will called Dance Seduction .

Erotica spokesman Dan Kirkby said:

We are now changing the name, our publicity material and our TV advertising campaign but our plans to make it a dance-themed show will continue.

A BBC spokesman said:

The BBC takes the protection of its brands extremely seriously and we believe that the association of our well-established family programme with such an event is clearly damaging.

Bedford Council has rejected an application made on behalf of the Saints and Sinners nightclub to allow lap dancing to take place on the second floor of its venue.

The Council cited the usual moral bollox of an 'inappropriate' location for the rejection even though the club is located in the city centre.

Local nutters, supported by the Christian Legal Centre, argued that such a venue was not suitable in an area where there were schools, churches, shops and homes. More than 1000 letters of objection were received by the Council in advance of the hearing.

Andrea Williams, CEO of the Christian Legal Centre crowed:

This is a fantastic result for the people of Bedford and we are very encouraged by the Council's decision. Yesterday's finding demonstrates that it is possible to successfully challenge lap dancing/sex establishment licences and that Councils are aware of the real risks and detriments of allowing a sex club to operate in city centres.

We would encourage anyone who wants to object to sex licence applications to contact us. We are here to support you all the way, because we recognise the blight that sex clubs have on town centres and communities, and the effect their presence has on women. Following today's result, we are confident that more successes are possible.

Lawyers representing the Lap Dancing Association are debating with Bournemouth council on what makes a performance lewd or stimulating . They have written to the council asking for amendments to the conditions for sexual entertainment venues, which come into force on September 28.

Solicitor Robert Sutherland wrote to the council, objecting to nine of the council's 40 conditions, including one that forbids dances from any act which clearly simulates any sexual act . He said:

The difficulty is that the performance of dance is sexually stimulating by its very nature and there is therefore some simulation of a sexual act even if it with the rhythmic moving of the hips.

He also objected to a condition that the dancers at the clubs must not use graphic or suggestive language or behave in a lewd manner . He argued:

Lewd, as I understand the dictionary definition, is to be sexual in an offensive way. I wonder whether such a condition is necessary as this would be different to different people.

Councillors of the licensing board will now debate the finer points on what lap dancers can do and what can be called sexual . Bournemouth's regulations ban dancers from touching customers or exchanging any contact information with them, and also make CCTV coverage mandatory.

Miserable Portsmouth councillors want to ban lap dancing and strip bars from all of Portsmouth.

Not So Liberal Democrat councillor Terry Hall has led the campaign to see a ban introduced. She explained:

I'm not the sort of person who wants to ban things like nude beaches, art or books.

...BUT...

these clubs give a bad message to the young people of this city about how women can be treated. They send the wrong message to visitors about our city. I'm very concerned that these clubs, probably not deliberately, appear to foster in a mindset that leads to domestic violence.

The city's licensing department will use new government powers which means it can refuse to allow strip clubs because it wants to.

Charlie Dacke, a member of the Solent Feminist Network, said:

It's vital to make sure women in this city feel safe. They don't now, walking close to these clubs. They encourage an unacceptable view of women. I hope a zero cap is set.