Largest City In England And Wales To Ban Lap Dancing

BRISTOL looks set to become the largest city in England and Wales to ban lap dancing.

In what would be a landmark decision in the UK, Bristol City Council voted on Monday, March 8 to put the option of completely shutting down lap dancing clubs to residents and influential groups in a bid to crack down on violence against women. While the move to close the city’s two current venues, the Urban Tiger and Central Chambers has been welcomed by many locals, many involved in the business said it was a slap in the face, particularly as the vote was taken on International Women’s Day.

Central Chambers wrote on its Facebook page: ‘Let’s hope the councillors vote against the nil cap on International Women’s Day and do not put hundreds of women out of work.’

Dancer Jessica Risque said in a post: ‘We do not need someone to say they have control over what is right for me to do with my body.

‘They have not taken into consideration how this will affect a lot of people.

‘If you think you can take this away from a bunch of consenting adults who do provide sexy entertainment, who are there a lot of the time to support and give therapy and show someone escapism from their lives they lead, you are not going to get rid of sex workers by closing these places down.

‘You are going to push it underground, you are going to make it so it is less regulated.

‘It’s incredibly distasteful.’

Councillors in favour of the ban argue that such venues lead to an increase in violence and discrimination against women, one of the biggest issues faced by Bristol at the moneht. However, Councillor Richard Eddy told Bristol Live that the current statistics don’t back this up.

‘We are asked not to give our taste, our moral view, whether we believe these sorts of clubs should exist, we are asked to weigh up the crime statistics and the evidence and say if we believe there is a link,’ Mr Eddy said.

‘The existing clubs are well run and well regulated, so I can’t see evidence that we should drop the cap to nil.’ 

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