Calls grow for strip club ban on race days

Pubs and bars in Cheltenham operate as strip clubs on race days

There are fresh calls to ban strip clubs over fears women are being "commercially and sexually exploited".

Cheltenham Borough Council issues special licences for pubs and bars that often coincide with horseracing meetings.

Its sexual entertainment venue (SEV) policy is currently up for review and leaders said they are fully aware of the strong feelings towards these premises.

Women’s rights groups say there is "no demand" for lap dancing outside of race days, which happen about eight times a year.

SEVs allow venues where lap dancing and other sexual entertainment takes place to be exempt from licensing requirements if it happens on no more than on 11 occasions within 12 months.

Feminist groups claim it is up to the council whether they permit such licences in the town or not, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Women's groups said Cheltenham residents want the town to be "free of strip clubs"

Ahead of the racecourse's first meeting of the national hunt season, a spokesperson for women’s rights group Safe Cheltenham said: "It is worth remembering that outside of race events there is no demand for lap dancing in Cheltenham.

"I’d suggest this is an equivocal statement by residents that they want Cheltenham to be free of SEVs."

A spokeswoman for liberation collective Gloucestershire Women said the consultation is an opportunity for the council to consider the effect on those working in the clubs.

"This impact should be at the heart of their policymaking," she said.

'Prepared to take action'

"We urge the council to show us they are listening to women and girls, and are prepared to take action.

"We remind the council that the appropriate number of SEVs for Cheltenham town centre can be set at zero."

In conducting its review the council will seek views from a range of groups both for and against such venues.

These will include groups representing women’s interest and safety, religious representatives, Gloucestershire Constabulary, Gloucestershire Police and Crime Commissioner, MPs, councillors, SEV operators and performers.