Rules now in place for anyone wishing to open a sexual entertainment venue

North Lanarkshire Council has agreed rules for anyone wishing to open businesses such as lap dance or strip clubs in the authority area.

Following a public consultation, councillors agreed to introduce the new licensing system for anyone proposing to open a sexual entertainment venue (SEV) in North Lanarkshire.

The move was backed by the council’s finance and resources committee.

There are currently no such venues in North Lanarkshire, but should operators apply for permission to open any they will have to seek a licence specifically for these forms of entertainment, and it will not be possible to open them near sensitive locations such as schools, places of worship or women’s refuges.

The policy also includes a legal presumption that there will continue to be no such venues.

Archie Aitken, head of legal and democratic solutions, told the committee:“if we don’t have a licensing regime in place it would be a free for all.

“There would be no regulation and certainly no enforcement in relation to any concerns about public safety or that of those working in such establishments.”

Councillor Jim Hume said it seemed “contradictory”to have a detailed licensing regime when there were no sexual entertainment venues in North Lanarkshire.

Mr Aitken replied that new legislation from the Scottish Government and a Court of Session case ruled that SEVS could not be covered by licensing for liquor licensing, which meant a specific framework was needed to deal with any applications that may be made in future.

Otherwise any operator could simply open up a new SEV without regulation from the council.

The consultation questionnaire was sent to various partner organisations and published on the council’s website and social media, receiving a total of 522 responses from the public, community councils, emergency services, adult and child protection committees and organisations supporting victims of gender-based violence.

The feedback from the consultation was overwhelmingly against allowing SEVS to open in North Lanarkshire.

The purpose of Scottish Government guidance is to ensure that in such areas where SEVS do exist they are safe and regulated environments where local authorities have the power to enforce conditions on how they operate.