Strip clubs 'may die out' if new lap-dancing laws come into place

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Written by: 195 on Mar 8, 2010

Instead of being relegated to the bright lights of London’s West End, venues started springing up in quiet towns such as Maidenhead, leaving local people powerless to object to the glare of The Honey Pot Club But from April 6 this could all change: local authorities will impose a new rule that requires all lap-dancing clubs to apply for a sex establishment licence, which basically means far stricter regulation.

Peter Stringfellow predicts this will result in the death of the smaller clubs and reckons 50 will drop off the radar within the next year. Is this the end of something now inherently linked to British culture? We take a look.

Peter Stringfellow, owner of Stringfellow's nightclub


‘Lap-dancing clubs should not be anywhere near residential areas; it’s as simple as that. Families don’t want men leaving strip clubs at 1am in the middle of the week. They shouldn’t be tucked in dirty back streets in towns and villages or even in cities – they should be in the form of sophisticated venues in the West End. They should be legal, correct and proper. When the bigger clubs turn out, there is no violence, no mass crowd, no chaos.

‘I’m not too worried about the girls – this is Britain and these girls are self-employed entertainers. Stripping is theatre. If they don’t like where they work, most of them can walk away. I just don’t like these places opening up in inappropriate places all over the country.

‘After 2004, anywhere that considered itself a disco or bar could modify itself just the next day into a sex entertainment venue. Suddenly everyone was jumping on the bandwagon, hiring girls and giving the industry a bad name. I didn’t sneak in: I applied and I was given permission.

‘I believe strip clubs are best for business entertaining and international clients, which is why they should be left to the big cities. There are about 300 of these in Britain right now. By next year there will 250 and it will continue that way. I am positive I will have no problems with the new licence and that the market will take care of itself.’

Jeff Myash, senior writer, Loaded


‘If you’ve ever dropped a pound coin into a dirty pint glass to watch a lady remove her knickers, you’ll agree with me that grotty strip joints should be closed forever. They don’t just degrade women, they degrade the punters.

‘I’ve reviewed strip clubs all over the world, from million-dollar members’ clubs in Vegas to belly-dancing saloons in Mauritania to a pub in east London where the sign reads “Jacks every Friday”.That, readers, is cockney rhyming slang: Jack The Ripper means stripper.

‘When pubs put on lap dancing it’s like when they try to do Thai food: it’s disappointingly not exotic and the meat is out of date. Boozer girls are all past-it Stringfellow’s dancers, promising themselves that each £1 dance is the last, and with these Victorian parlour scenes comes a frisson of violence that made me promise never to return.

‘Stringfellow’s is like another world: safe, clean and as refined an establishment you can get, with staff called Crystal.

‘I’m all for the new government rules. They’ll hopefully enforce that dancers are legal, the atmosphere friendly and other legal hoops that moody clubs won’t be able to jump through. Otherwise it’ll be Labour getting its pound of flesh.’



Del Dhillon, owner of Bandit Queen, Dudley, West Midlands

‘My club opened four and a half years ago and I have never had any trouble. In fact, I am part of the Lap Dancing Association, which aims to clean up the industry, and there are clubs we would like closed because of the trouble they bring.

‘I know police have been called more than 50 times to one club because of violence and loud music. If you play heavy bass lines you are going to attract a certain clientele.

‘I don’t believe smaller clubs are going to close down when this new law comes in. Local councils and police already have the power to close lap-dancing clubs and, although residents will have the right to complain, the decision will ultimately lie with these bigger powers.

‘In fact, I don’t think this new law will change much at all. Residents complain that schools are nearby; the school shuts at 3.15pm and lap-dancing clubs open more than six hours later.

‘And what will happen to the girls when the club is gone? Most of them use stripping to put themselves through university or support their family. They will be unemployed. If they become really stuck for money they could end up doing something drastic, which will open a door to another industry – and I guarantee the residents will like that even less.’

www.banditqueen.co.uk

Anna van Heeswijk, coordinator at Object, a campaign to challenge the objectification of women


‘Lap-dancing clubs are clearly part of the sex industry and it is nonsensical for them to be licensed in the same way as cafés.

‘This new licensing regime will allow councils to apply vital controls and conditions on lap-dancing clubs to protect the rights of workers in the clubs and it will give local communities a greater say over whether or not a club opens in their area.

‘This is necessary because lap-dancing clubs are not harmless fun. They often involve sexual exploitation, they promote the idea that women are sexual objects who are always available, they make sexual harassment seem normal and they create no-go zones for women who feel unsafe walking past them at night.

‘It is a no-brainer that buying a lap dance has a far greater social impact than buying a cappuccino and that greater regulation is needed. This is why Object, along with the Fawcett Society, parliamentarians and thousands of people around the country, campaigned for this law change, so that lap-dancing clubs can be licensed for what they are – part of the sex industry.’

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