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2013: July-Sept

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Update: Morality Surcharges Outlawed...

Huddersfield sex shops benefit from a reduction in licence fees


Link Here22nd September 2013
Fees for sex shop licences are dropping by £1,825. Kirklees Council has decreased the charge to £750 following a court ruling in London.

There are only three sex shop licences issued in Kirklees and they will benefit from a cut, the £2,575 licences falls to £750.

The three shops, all in Huddersfield, are: John's Books, Manchester Road; Empire, off John William Street; and Private Shop, Bradford Road.

Kirklees says:

The proposed fees reflect this reduction in costs and will enable the council to reasonably recover its costs in relation to sex shop licensing.

 

 

Cloned but with a Few Genes Re-engineered...

Soho Clonezone moves to larger premises a few doors down the street


Link Here13th September 2013
Clonezone is a long running gay sex shop witch branches in several major cities.

The Soho branch in London has now moved from 64 to 35 Old Compton Street.

A company spokesperson said:

Due to rising demand we thought it necessary to invest in larger premises so that we could stock more of the brands our customers love, such as ES Collection, Timoteo and our in-house brand Titus: Made for Men -- a range of aromas, cock rings and leatherwear.

Clonezone

35 Old Compton Street
Soho
London
W1D 5JX

Mon-Sat: 11am - 9pm
Sun 12: noon - 8pm

 

 

Expecting a Long Pit Stop...

Central Bedfordshire Council's nil policy on adult businesses will not affect current licences


Link Here12th September 2013
Central Bedfordshire Council has opened a public consultation, on what is reported by the press as a nil policy. However this is a policy proposal that would be applied to future licence issuing and does not affect existing businesses. So thankfully Adult Pit Stop's future is not in any doubt.

The name on the licence was recently changed, but the same team is still running the shop.

The opening hours on Sundays are now 10.00am to 6.00pm.

The shop continues to be a very popular shop with the customer base built up over the last eight years.

Adult Pit Stop

43 Tempsford Road A1 Northbound
Sandy
Bedfordshire
SG19 2AF

Mon-Sat: 10am-8pm
Sun: 10am-6pm

 

 

Excessive Westminster Council Control Freakery Drives Porn Under the Counter...

Trading Standards raid suppliers of porn DVDs to newsagents


Link Here 6th September 2013

Westminster Council trading standards staff have raided lock-ups in Merton and Wandsworth and seized 100,000 hardcore DVDs.

The DVDs were due to be supplied to sex shops in Soho and the West End, and to newsagents in South London. Previous raids on 80 newsagents had led to follow up raids on the suppliers.

It appears that the seized DVDs were not pirated copies, but rather unboxed disks from legitimate producers from Europe and the United States and sold from behind the counters of the newsstands and unlicensed sex shops.

Nickie Aiken of Westminster City Council said:

We believe we have uncovered a major wholesale supply ring distributing unclassified material to shops in Westminster. The operation illustrates the scale of the illegal sex industry in London. My fear is that corner shops in Westminster and elsewhere in the capital are now the new frontier for the illegal porn industry in London.

 

 

Update: Fairer Fees...

Bradford set to reduce the morality charge portion of sex shop and sex entertainment license fees


Link Here29th August 2013
Bradford Council plans to cut the amount it will charge for the licensing of sex shops and zoos, following a Court of Appeal ruling.

The cost of a licence for a sex shop, sex cinema or strip club is likely to be reduced from £5,658 to £1,928.

The Court of Appeal ruled in a case involving Westminster City Council that licence fees for sex shops must be reasonable and proportionate, and could not include the costs of enforcing or monitoring unlicensed businesses.

The plans will now be considered by the Regulatory and Appeals Committee.

 

 

Updated: Opportunity Blame...

Oxford sex shop licence renewal provides bizarre example of the unfairness of political correctness


Link Here21st August 2013
In a bizarre example of political correctness being taken to extremes, an Oxford sex shop renewal is being caught up in the conviction of a gang of child abusers in the so called Bullfinch Trial.

It is politically incorrect to mention the important correlation that, in common with, several other cases, the perpetrators were primarily muslims of Pakistani origin. Society has taken the view that such correlations should be played down so as not suggest that millions of other perfectly law abiding citizens from the same cultural background are unfairly associated with the criminality.

All very civilised, but somehow the same politeness is not accorded accorded to people who trade in, or simply enjoy adult entertainment. Then newspapers, politicians, or anyone else with a pet morality to peddle, is encouraged to make up bollox about sexual entertainment turning men into rapists or whatever. It matters not a jot that they defaming millions of totally innocent people, it matters not a jot that scientists and researchers have found next to nothing to support any such causality, and it matters not a jot that there are millions of porn viewers who are perfectly law abiding citizens.

Now in Oxford, reprehensible politicians are highlighting the Bullfinch case as reasons for opposing the sex shop licence renewal for the Private Shop in Cowley Road. The locality became linked to the case when trial barrister Lee Karu mentioned that one of the rapists was brought up on the Cowley Road.

Green councillor Dick Wolff said residents had contacted him objecting to the licence renewal saying:

The residents are objecting and I am representing those views. (Those views) are based on Bullfinch.

Green councillor Greg Simmons said:

The Bullfinch inquiry highlighted that the environs of the Cowley Road are a contributing factor and although it's not to do with the sex shop itself, it is contributing to the gritty sub-culture of the Cowley Road and so that is what convinced me (to object).

Green councillor Elise Benjamin said:

My feeling is that with Bullfinch there has been more concern, especially with Mr Karu's comment about Cowley Road.

Its not as if the church hasn't got deep troubles with child abuse. But it doesn't seem very grateful for the political correctness that generally cushions religion against criticism and unfair generalisations about clerical child abuse. And it seems that the church is quick to make equally unfair aspersions about other people.

Bruce Gillingham, rector of St Clement's Church said:

We're bound to look at things differently in the light of the Bullfinch trial, it's certainly caused concern. We want to see the spirit and the ethos of Cowley road raised so that all people feel welcome.

The local MP has wisely opted not to get too involved in the debate and has taken up his position on the fence. Oxford East MP Andrew Smith said that he supported the Cowley residents who wanted to avoid giving the area a seedy image , but that the shop and its customers also have rights .

The police have not objected to the licence renewal, and the application will be considered by Oxford City Council on 20th August.

Update: Resident's association that doesn't consult the residents

20th August 2013. See  article from  oxfordmail.co.uk

A former councillor has made a few relevant comments about objections to the sex shop licence.

Patrick Gray, who served as a city councillor for the east and central ward between 1979 and 1990, said it was wrong for objectors to use the Bullfinch child abuse case to oppose the renewal of The Private Shop's licence in Cowley Road.

Ten formal objections were made to the council against the renewal application submitted in June, including from Green councillors Craig Simmons and Dick Wolff, with many referencing comments made by lawyers in Bullfinch about a sub-culture on Cowley Road.

Grey pointed out:

There is no connection to Bullfinch and the shop is behind closed doors. No evidence has been produced to support the assertion that it was responsible for the terrible crimes revealed by the Bullfinch enquiry.

People have a choice whether they go to the shop or not and we do not want to live in a vigilante society.

Gray added that he was upset to find that the Divinity Road Area Residents' Association (DRARA) had submitted a formal objection without consulting residents. He is one of the founder members of the residents' association. He said:

Most people who we know in this area take issues of freedom of expression very seriously and would be deeply concerned by what would amount to censorship. The residents' association ought to consult people.

DRARA chairwoman Elizabeth Mills notable didn't refute the charges and just said:

I am sorry if anyone thinks we have stepped outside our brief and anyone can step forward to sit on the committee.

Update: Licence Renewed

21st August 2013. See  article from  oxfordmail.co.uk

The shop licence has been renewed at a Licensing and Registration Sub Committee meeting at Oxford City Council. Ten written representations were noted.

Update: An insult to everybody who lives in the area

23rd August  2013. See  article from  oxfordmail.co.uk

Those behind a sex shop licence application have said linking it to the Bullfinch child abuse case was an insult to everybody who lives in the area .

Darker Enterprises said the sex shop had no link to the case whatsoever . Management consultant Clive Sullivan, speaking on behalf of the owners, told the committee:

I have gone through the (Bullfinch) supplement in the Oxford Mail in detail and there is not one reference to a sex shop.

There is a reference of drugs and alcohol being used in respect of grooming unfortunately of girls.

I don't hear people asking for every premises in Cowley Road selling alcohol to be closed down.

[And lets not even go with the more obvious, but unmentionable, suggestion of asking for all mosques to be closed down].

In the event Oxford Council committee chairwoman Mary Clarkson said in its 32-year history the shop had caused no problems:

We have heard all the concerns that have been raised but we don't believe there has been a significant change since the last renewal to not justify renewal.

 

 

Update: Council Asked to Support Local Business...

Owner of closed Derby sex shop says that he is seeking a council refund of overcharged fees which will be put towards a new shop


Link Here14th August 2013

Last month Derby City Council agreed to repay nearly £9000 each to the 2 licensed sex shops in the town.

Store owners of Simply Pleasure and the Private Shop have pointed out that the council of unjustifiably hiked fees to milk the shops for as much money as possible.

A recent High Court judgement ruled this over charging to be illegal and that councils are only allowed to charge licence fees in line with administration expenses.

In 2010-11, the council had charged £1,500 for a licence renewal for each shop and, in 2011-12 and 2012-13, £4,380. But, following the key legal test case, it reduced that fee to £495. The council is paying back the excess totalled over 3 years.

Now a refund is being rightfully claimed by a 3rd shop which closed in 2011. John Foster, the former owner of Bargain Pleasure, in Monk Street, which shut in September 2011, has told how he intends to pursue Derby City Council for thousands of pounds he says he should not have had to pay. And he has revealed plans to use any money he gets back to put towards a new shop in Abbey Street. Foster said:

The council had put the charge up from £1,500 to £4,380 and I couldn't pay it that year.

 

 

Eco Ethical Organic Aphrodisiac Tea...

French company claims that organic is not enough and adds an eco-ethical dimension to erotic products.


Link Here14th August 2013
The owner of French firm Divinextases has seen sales triple after offering erotic products that appeal to the eco-conscious.

Frederic Donnat saw a gap in the market that was more interesting than the usual organic beauty products . He refocused his online business to eco-erotic products.

From balms for buttocks left sore by a spanking session to intimate perfumes, all Donnat's products are made in France with sustainable materials from reputable sources. They use beeswax and shea butter rather than palm oil and all are wrapped in recyclable packaging.

Divinextases , whose pills are sold in pharmacies, organic stores and sex shops, now wants to diversify into aphrodisiac-laced tea and sugar, company director Fleur Phelipeau told AFP.

Meanwhile British company French Letter sells carbon-neutral condoms made from natural latex produced in sustainably-run forests. A French website arbredesplaisirs.com (Forest of pleasure) promises to plant a tree in the Amazon rainforest for every sex toy purchased.

But some are cynical about the rise of the organic sex shop. Easy Love, a network of lingerie and erotic accessory retailers, claimed eco-erotic products have sold very badly and dismissed the concept as a publicity stunt .

 

 

Update: No Longer Licensed to Moralise...

Derby Council to pay back 17,000 of illegal surcharges to local sex shops


Link Here28th July 2013

Derby City Council will repay nearly £9000 each to the 2 licensed sex shops in the town.

Store owners of Simply Pleasure and the Private Shop have pointed out that the council of unjustifiably hiked fees to milk the shops for as much money as possible. It was also suggested high fees were imposed as a deterrent to their kind of business.

A recent High Court judgement ruled this over charging to be illegal and that councils are only allowed to charge licence fees in line with administration expenses.

Tim Hemming, owner of Simply Pleasure, said: They thought they could get away with it. He asked how councils could charge sex shops hundreds of pounds more than zoos for licences.

Jonathan Isaby, TaxPayers' Alliance political director, said the council could not be allowed

To fleece perfectly legitimate businesses by charging over the odds for licences. Circumstances are hard enough for businesses trying to make ends meet at the moment without having local authorities adding to their woes with erroneous bills.

The cash being paid back to these shops is money that should never have been taken by the council in the first place.

In 2010-11, the council had charged £1,500 for a licence renewal for each shop and, in 2011-12 and 2012-13, £4,380. But, following the key legal test case, it reduced that fee to £495. The council is paying back the excess totalled over 3 years.

Mike Wallace, a director of Darker Enterprises, which owns Private Shop, said the licence fee being paid for that store had been out of sync with other businesses in the city. He said:

I think councils came along when the shops first came out and thought they could make a bit of cash and charge high fees as a deterrent.

Mike Kay, the council's head of environmental health and licensing, said a policy recommendation has been approved to repay what is owed . He said the £17,550 total would come from council funds . When asked why the council had decided to charge the amounts that it did, he said:

A policy decision was made at the time which has subsequently been found to be incorrect.

 

 

The Last Sex Shop in Caledonian Road...

Soho Books in Kings Cross applies for a change of use to a restaurant


Link Here27th July 2013
Full story: Sex Shops in London...God created sex shop whingers in Islington

Soho Books, is said to be the last visible adult establishment in Caledonian Road, Kings Cross. The owners have now applied to an Islington Council planning committee to change the use from retail to a restaurant or drinking establishment.

If the application goes through, Cllr Paul Convery, who represents Caledonian Ward, said:

This is very significant -- this is the last visible sex business on the Caledonian Road. There are a couple of subterranean establishments, sex encounter and blue movie sorts of places, but they are hidden and will be out of business soon.

Now it's a modern and revitalised neighbourhood. We have raided, closed down and regulated these business out of existence. I wouldn't say the war is won, by this could be yet another decisive victory in the battle against sleaze, vice and pornography in King's Cross.

 

 

Purrfect...

Purrfectly Discreet sex shop in Poole is now licensed


Link Here24th July 2013

The sex shop that opened six weeks ago in Poole High Street has been granted a licence which enables it to sell more explicit material.

Purrfectly Discreet's application, which allows it to sell R18 DVDs attracted 63 whinges from residents and 12 letters of support.

Chairman Cllr John Rampton, said:

We carefully considered both the application and the objections received, but felt there was insufficient evidence to warrant the refusal of the application.

As a result of the application's approval, we now have more control over the premises than we did before. In addition the conditions imposed on the licence address some of the objections raised by local people.

Shop owner John Budimir thanked the council for its fair and open minded manner and added:

I hope that by my creating the most female friendly, couple friendly, gay and lesbian friendly adult store in Dorset and Hampshire it will be soon looked upon as one of the historic town attractions.

The conditions include installing a fully operational CCTV system, access doors shall remain closed, all windows to be frosted to at least two-thirds high, no photos, text, drawings or images to be displayed, warning signs on the front doors and curtains in the windows to be drawn at all times. The only items for sale immediately inside the shop and in the first room should be lingerie only and no sex toys, dvds, videos or forms of electronic media should be on sale or displayed in the first room

 

 

Updated: Prudes from a Fantasy World...

Nutter petition about a Salisbury sex shop window finds little support from the online community


Link Here11th July 2013

Miserable residents have launched a petition to protest against the window display at a Salisbury sex shop.

Amazing Fantasy, in Fisherton Street, has recently been refurbished and its new display has been branded as supposedly inappropriate and more obvious , by people living nearby.

Nelly Bull launched a petition that has been signed by about 40 people. She claims:

There are pictures of women in provocative poses displayed right at the eye level of a small child. There have also been slogans in the window, again at the eye level of children, which are not appropriate for them to read. I am truly appalled. We have a responsibility to protect our children.

I am not heading any vendetta against this shop. They have freedom to trade ...BUT... as a community we have the right to strive for better standards and decency in our streets.

Councillor Richard Clewer said:

Since the shop was refurbished it has become more noticeable and obvious. I am not sure what the position is with regards to enforcement action, but I will speak to the council's licensing department for guidance.

Jonathan Spencer, manager of Amazing Fantasy said:

There is nothing you would see in our window that you wouldn't see in the window of other high street shops. Why should we black out our windows which would make the shop seem seedy? That is not what we are about at all.

We have simply had a lick of paint and changed our stock, it is mostly lingerie. People who have been into the shop have been impressed with how it looks and trade has been up 63% since the refurbishment. We have reduced the amount of stock we need a licence to sell and everything is legal.

Commentors on the online newspaper piece seem in total disagreement to the claims of the protestors. Even Councillor Clewer seems to have backed off given the total lack of support for the protestors' claims.

Update: Token gesture

11th July 2013. See  article from  salisburyjournal.co.uk

The manager of a Salisbury sex shop has been told he will need to take down one of the adverts in his window display following complaints. Licensing staff from Wiltshire Council visited the shop this week and informed staff that one of the adverts would need to be removed or changed. A Wiltshire Council spokesman said:

We've now visited the business and advised the manager of concerns from the public and that one of the adverts on display will need to be altered or taken down. We will now aim to set up an arrangement where he can easily notify us when he wants to make changes to the shop and we can advise accordingly.

Meanwhile owner Jonathan Spencer says he has had strong support for the changes he has made and has started his own petition in support of the window display, which has been signed by 82 people, and he plans to present it to cllr Clewer next week.

Update: Supportive petition

18th July 2013. See  article from  salisburyjournal.co.uk

THE row over a window display at a Salisbury sex shop took a new turn this week when its owner handed in his own petition showing support for his business.

Jonathan Spencer, who runs Amazing Fantasy in Fisherton Street, has been collecting signatures from people coming into his store who say they support the changes he made to the frontage of his shop and the window display.

More than 80 people have signed the petition supporting his business and on Tuesday he handed it to ward councillor Richard Clewer, who had also received the residents' petition of 40 signatures.



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