Blackpool to clamp down on adult entertainment venues to boost family appeal

"We are a family town," said councillor Adrian Hutton, the chair of the licensing committee

Blackpool is aiming to crack down on the number of adult entertainment venues in the town to boost its reputation as a family resort.

Councillors are being asked to approve plans to eliminate lap dancing clubs and allow only one sex shop to trade.

Its existing four clubs would be allowed to continue operating under the plans, but once licences lapse, they would not be renewed.

Venue regulations will also be tightened under the revised policy.

Licensing bosses said the move would enhance Blackpool's aim to be a family resort, reports the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

'Causes problems'

"We are a family town and some of the things that have gone on are not according to the rules," the licensing chair councillor Adrian Hutton said.

He said limiting the venues would also be more in keeping with Blackpool's accreditation from the White Ribbon UK, a charity aiming to end violence against women.

"We're not against people coming to Blackpool and having a good time, but there is an element that causes problems and this is a way to reduce that," he said.

The Labour councillor said the move "would help the town".

Adult entertainment venues are currently closed under the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions, but when they are allowed to reopen, they would be relicensed, providing they comply with legislation and licence conditions.

Once a licence lapses, revoked or surrendered, or otherwise not renewed, the acquired rights would be lost.

The plans, which go before the licensing committee on 19 January, also include tighter regulations on how dances are paid for and a ban on dancers taking mobile phones into performance areas.

The seaside resort had about 13 lap dancing venues in the mid-2000s, but numbers have steadily reduced to four.