Cheltenham strip club approval sparks fear council 'doesn't care about women and girls'

Women’s rights groups in Cheltenham have blasted the borough council for “not caring about the lives of women and girls” over a recent decision to allow a strip club to open which allows "touching between dancers".

Licensing chiefs at the authority recently approved plans for Eroticats strip club to open during race days at Jessop House in Cambray Place. They dispute the claim that they don't care about women's safety.

They say the law allows sexual entertainment venues to operate and the authority would rather have such venues regulated rather than operating under a loophole which would avoid oversight.

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But women’s rights campaigners, who spoke at the licensing sub-committee meeting on November 6, feel their serious concerns over the risk of men’s violence against women were not taken on board by councillors. They also raised concerns over the granting of a variation allowing bodily contact between performers.

A spokesperson for GlosWomen were among the groups disappointed with the decision and the watering down of their licence conditions. "Breaches to licence conditions have been observed at another venue run by the applicant but these seem to be of little concern,” they said.

“In fact, the committee has now granted a licence which relaxes license conditions related to these breaches and continues to allow the club to tout for business in town, which also goes against its original policy. The committee appears unwilling to engage with the issue of men’s violence against women and girls and how men buying sexual entertainment is part of the continuum of men’s violence against women.

"Town hall events featuring male performers are often compared to lap dancing. Councillors fail to consider the very different dynamics of these events and the fact that we have an epidemic of male violence against women and girls, not an epidemic of female violence against men and boys.

"At the heart of this lack of engagement seems to be the depressing reality that the committee just don’t care about the lives of women and girls."

And a spokesperson for SafeCheltenham, raised concerns that all parties were not given sufficient time to review new evidence. “The committee's admittance of a substantive and late disclosure by the applicant undermines the fairness of the hearing and gives the impression of bias,” they said.

"Additionally the continued granting of variations to the licensing conditions outlined in the council's sexual entertainment venues policy makes a mockery of the policy. Variations should only be granted in ‘exceptional circumstances’.

"To date we are not aware of any variation request that has been refused. The granting of a variation allowing bodily contact between performers is extremely concerning given the breaches of touching conditions at Under the Prom in March race week.

"Members of the committee seemed to have little or no knowledge of the risk factors of male violence against women and girls and continue to draw a false equivalence with the 'Dreamboys' who were performing at the Town Hall. Research has shown the sexual objectification of men is not the same as the sexual objectification of women and is not associated with the same harm".

Licensing chairman David Willingham (LD, St Peter’s) said the applicant submitted their bundle in full compliance with the requirements of the council’s constitution and it was therefore accepted by the committee. “The committee unanimously agreed there was no unfairness in the process,” he said.

“The committee is fully aware of the concerns raised by the objector groups particularly those in relation to relating women’s safety and it is simply wrong to suggest these issues relating were not considered. The committee carefully considered all the evidence from both parties before coming to a unanimous decision on the application.

“Parliament has made the provision of sexual entertainment venues a lawful activity and it is the committee’s role to administer the licensing regime accordingly. Conditions requiring extra SIA approved security staff addresses the safety of performers, customers, and the public in the vicinity of the venue.

"Bystander training for those promoting the applicant’s courtesy vehicle improves safety in other parts of the town. Until the legal loophole, that allows for unregulated sexual entertainment, is closed by the Government, the council maintains it is safer and better to license venues rather than have them operate unregulated – which poses a far greater risk to performers, customers and the wider civil society.”