Labour MPs hail new lap dancing laws

Tue 16 Feb 2010

A Labour MP has welcomed new laws which will allow councils and residents to block lap dancing licence applications.

Kerry McCarthy, the MP for Bristol East, recently saw many of her constituents succeed in their bid to prevent a lap dancing venue from opening in the Old Market area of the city.

However, she told the Evening Post that the campaigners had been restricted by the law, as they could only argue that the club would jeopardise public safety, create a nuisance and lead to crime and disorder.

Under new rules, which will be introduced in April this year, those who are opposed to a lap dancing licence application will be able to object on the grounds of it being inappropriate to the area.

Ms McCarthy went on to hail the decision to give local authorities the power to impose a wide range of conditions on a licence and put a cap on the number of lap dancing venues in any given area.

Durham MP Roberta Blackman-Woods has also welcomed the change in the law, telling the Sunderland Echo it will give local people "far more of a say" over the amount of lap dancing clubs in their community.