Bill will let councils close lap dancing clubs

On lap dancing, the introduction of "transitional powers" to deal with existing lap dancing clubs goes further than originally billed. The home secretary, Jacqui Smith, has already indicated that she expects the legislation to curb the growth in the number of lap dancing clubs, which has doubled to 300 over the last four years.

But Coaker indicated that the "transitional powers" contained in the bill would give local authorities the power to refuse to renew the licences of existing clubs if there are local objections that they are sited inappropriately.

Despite the recent protests of the lap dancing industry that what goes on in their clubs is not "sexually stimulating", the legislation proposes to categorise lap dancing clubs as "sex encounter establishments" and remove them from the existing 2003 entertainment licensing regime, which classed them along with bars and pubs. A sex encounter venue is defined as one in which relevant entertainment is provided before a live audience for the financial gain of the organiser. An audience can consist of only one person.

The effect will be to allow local authorities to take far more account of the views of residents in granting new licences and to ban the opening of further clubs by declaring that a particular town or city centre has reached saturation point.

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