Lap Dancing in the North West

The manager of a lap dancing club in Accrington claims she is the victim of political correctness and discrimination after the Jobcentre refused to allow her to advertise for dancers.

Kate Hartley is to launch iCandy in Blackburn Road on May 31, with the help of 45 new members of staff. But Hartley  said she had hit a wall in the recruitment process after being told she could not advertise vacancies for lap dancers, bar staff, waiting on staff and doorman.

When contacted by the Lancashire Telegraph, the Jobcentre said its policy was not to advertise for lap dancers, but it was now considering whether the other positions were suitable for display in its branches.

Hartley said:

I think the Jobcentre's attitude is absolutely crazy in the current economic climate. The Jobcentre should want to help us employ local people. It's political correctness gone mad. They told me they would not be able to advertise my jobs as people will be intimidated.

That's discrimination. If people are mature enough to get a job they are mature enough to walk passed an advert they do not wish to apply for.

A Jobcentre spokesman said:

People who are desperately looking for work shouldn't be put in an environment where they're exposed to these types of jobs and could feel under pressure to work in the sex industry.

Update: Opening Night

13th July 2012. See  article from  lancashiretelegraph.co.uk

iCandy, will be launched on Friday 13th July 2012 despite opposition from residents and recruitment agencies, a lack of dancers and a 1,500-signature petition against the club.

The manager of the club, Kate Hartley, said: We are aware a lot of people are against us but we are hoping for best.

A lap dancing club is to open in the Accrington town centre after councillors granted planning permission. The bar had already obtained a Sexual Entertainment licence.

The I Candy club, which is set to open on Blackburn Street will be the first of its kind in the Lancashire town.

Hundreds of people signed a petition against the club claiming it would have a detrimental impact on the town centre.

Hyndburn Borough Council planning committee approved the application saying: Members of the planning committee considered the planning application against all representations received as well as relevant development plan and national planning policies.

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.

Lap dancing comes to Southport. Club Heaven, on Coronation Walk is now offering adult dances.

Rev Richard Vernon, a minister at Elim Church, said: It is a shame. People make their own choices about how they live and that is absolutely fine but when you deal with people whose lives and marriages have been wrecked by pornography, you have to look at the long term consequences. It is the image that the club portrays. We want to turn Southport into a classic resort.

Town centre councillor, Sir Ron Watson, said: It is something I would prefer not to see. In terms of developing as we have done, as a classic resort, it hardly fits in with it. Personally, I would much prefer it if it was not there but there is no point pretending that there is no need for it or it would not have opened. The club does not fit in with the general ambience of town, particularly as a classic resort.

The problem is that it is a tiny minority who would like this sort of entertainment.The impact in terms of the public perception of Southport is important.

A Macclesfield nightclub wants to bring lap dancing to the town centre for the first time.

Repent on Mill Street, a former church mission and Quaker meeting house dating back more than 100 years, wants to open the new members-only club by Christmas.

Objectors have until December 9 to lodge any concerns with Cheshire East Council. None had been received so far.

Co-owner Laura Hatton-Garside, who with husband Roy submitted the application for a change of licence on November 10, said on Tuesday, (November 24): This venture will be a members-only club and because of its location the inside of the club will not be visible to the public. The two sections of the club, which has a licence to stay open until 4am, will be separated from each other.

Macclesfield town councillor David Neilson said: Considering the history of the building, which used to be a Quaker meeting house and the town mission, I think it's an inappropriate use. I think many people would be very, very distressed to see it become this. Call me old-fashioned but that is not the place for it.

Town centre colleague, Coun Stephen Broadhurst, fears mixing alcohol and lap dancing could be a recipe for disaster . I think it's got to be very carefully run and disciplined. I'm not sure whether it fits in in Macclesfield. On the other hand, if there's a demand for it then there's a supply for it.

And Inspector Gareth Woods, head of Macclesfield Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: As long as any premises are properly run, I haven't got any concerns. Historically, lap dancing premises present very few problems. Whether it is appropriate isn't for me to answer.

A Cheshire East spokesman confirmed consultation would end on December 9 and said the licence change might need to go before a CEC licensing committee if objections were lodged.

Update: 450 Responses

1st January 2010.  See article from macclesfield-express.co.uk

A council spokeswoman said only those directly affected by noise pollution, activity and disturbance are qualified to object.

She said: We have had 450 responses approximately, however, we are bound by the council and the secretary of state that we can only take on board those comments from those people within the vicinity.

The Licensing Committee will meet to make its decision at the Macclesfield town hall at 10am on Thursday, January 7.

Update: Imposing Morality

10th January 2010.  See article from macclesfield-express.co.uk

Cheshire East Council refused to give the owners Roy and Laura Hatton-Garside permission to turn the Mill Street premises into an adult venue during a Licensing Committee meeting on January 7th.

After more than three hours of deliberation, the Licensing Committee agreed that the application has supposedly failed to meet the four requirements under the 2003 Licensing Act.

A poster, for Perfect 10s gentlemens club, featured an image of a woman, naked except for a small pair of knickers which were pulled down around her hips. The ad featured the text Say hello to my new boobs for the first time here at Perfect 10s covering her breasts. The ad also featured three smaller images of other women in their underwear in sexually provocative poses. The text at the bottom of the ad stated Its our 7th Birthday! Party with guest models Gemma Massey & Dani Thompso".

Ten complainants objected that the ad was offensive and unsuitable for display where it could be seen by children.

ASA Assessment: Complaints Upheld

The ASA considered that the images in the ad were explicit and were likely to be seen as sexually provocative. We noted that they appeared on a poster, which was an untargeted medium and situated near to a public space and where they could be seen by children. We concluded that the sexually suggestive nature of the images meant that they were likely to cause serious or widespread offence to adults in an untargeted medium and were unsuitable for public display where they could be seen by children.

The ad breached CAP Code clauses 2.2 (Social responsibility) and 5.1 and 5.2 (Offence). The ad must not appear again in its current form.

A billboard of a  glamour model has sparked nutter complaints to the advertising censor.

Lapdancing club Perfect 10s pasted the poster on the side of a cafe in Blackpool Road, Ashton, to advertise an event marking the Preston city centre venue's seventh anniversary.

The 15ft picture shows a pouting woman peeling her knickers off, with a banner across her chest saying: Say hello to my new boobs for the first time at Perfect 10s.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has received three complaints about the poster, which was put up last week.

Some locals believe the billboard, was too graphic. Janine Reynolds said she would not be happy if her two-year-old grandson spotted the picture: The children from St Andrews School are off for six weeks but they'll still be going on the park opposite. It's the bottom half of the picture – they should have cut it off from the navel down.

The ASA said there are no specific codes regarding nudity in adverts and context is taken into account.

Businessman Edgar Wallace, part of the consortium which owns Perfect 10s, said: I have not personally received any complaints or heard of any problems about the poster. However, if public opinion comes out in favour of removing the poster, I will remove it straight away.

Police have objected to a bid to re-open a Blackpool lap dancing club. Wildcats was closed last year after performers were judged to have breached nutter inspired decency rules.

However, the club on Clifton Street re-opened temporarily in the run-up to Christmas.

The club is re-opening under temporary premises licences. Blackpool Police have said they would oppose the application.

Applications for a temporary events notice have been made in the club's name. Following the police objection, the application will go before a town hall licensing panel in the next week or two.

Two applications have been made for the Wildcats venue for the end of January, and the end of February. Temporary events notices cover a 96-hour period and people can apply for 15 per year.

Blackpool's Young People's Council were angry that an adult entertainment venue was set to launch in the basement of the Clifton Hotel, which is currently being revamped.

But now the owners of the historic building, which is being transformed into bars and a nightclub, have decided to ditch the plan for a lap-dancing attraction.

Coun Maxine Callow, cabinet member for regeneration and tourism on Blackpool Council, said: I'm delighted with this outcome because this is the message we're wanting to send out that Blackpool is changing. We're changing our profile and want to change the profile of our visitors.

Gary Hunt, chief operating officer at the Barnsley-based Brook Group, which owns
the Clifton, said the company wanted to work with Blackpool to boost its image.

He said: As part of the ongoing discussions with the senior council officials, we have considered our proposals to open a lap dancing bar within a basement area to the rear of the Clifton Hotel.

Although planning and licensing has been approved, the council have highlighted that their vision for Blackpool was to try to improve its image and in line with this they didn't believe that the lap-dancing proposal was ideal for such a grand scheme.

We've therefore considered their views and eventually taken the decision to surrender the lap-dancing consent to try to assist with the council's vision. The regeneration of Blackpool as a whole is a very important factor for us and our aim is to try to assist as much as possible.

A blackpool lap-dancing club could be shut down amid exaggerated allegations of live sex shows being performed.

Wildcats, in Clifton Street, is set to be questioned by the council on February 4 after being accused of breaching its licence by allowing contact between customers and dancers.

CCTV images from the club, formerly known as Too Hot To Handle, show two female dancers performing a sexy show watched by two men.

Wildcats is alleged to have broken the terms of its licence by offering lap-dancing without CCTV cameras covering the main performance areas. Entertainment is said to have taken place in private booths, where physical contact was observed between performers and customers.

The club is also alleged to have breached its licence by allowing an offensive billboard sign, advertising the premises, to be paraded through the town centre.

Among the penalties the club could face is the possibility of having its licence revoked or suspended.

Blackpool Council's licensing committee voted in favour of repressive new restrictions on the number of adult entertainment venues allowed to open in the town centre and the Promenade.

It means in future, new lap-dancing clubs will be banned unless they can prove they will not harm the family-orientated tourist trade.

Council leader Coun Peter Callow said he was determined to sweep away sleaze and restore Blackpool's family image [as a continuous strip of fish and chip shops!].

This new policy on new lap dancing and striptease clubs has been passed by Blackpool Council with all party support. The policy, which was introduced by nutter council leader Peter Callow and seems to dubiously put morality above the law of the land.