Have your say on strip clubs in Tower
Hamlets
People in Tower Hamlets are being given their
first chance to influence whether strip clubs and similar venues
should be allowed to operate in the borough, under a new
consultation launched this week.
The council wants to gather community opinions
on a draft policy which says that there is no location within Tower
Hamlets suitable for sex establishments, and that they should be
restricted to ‘nil’. The consultation is open to residents, local
businesses and organisations.
Lutfur Rahman, Mayor of Tower Hamlets, said:
“We are proposing a new policy which would restrict the number of
sex establishments in the borough.
“Local opinion has previously been
overwhelmingly weighted against having sex establishments in our
community. It is because of these views, along with issues of
community cohesion and empowerment, concerns about level of crime
and fear of crime, and the suitability of localities for such
venues, that we are proposing a restriction on such businesses.
“However, we want the new policy to reflect
the attitude of the Tower Hamlets community, and whether or not we
put a restriction in place will be entirely dependent on the views
we receive through this consultation. I do encourage people to
contribute their comments on this important issue.”
The proposed policy has been drafted under
legislation introduced by the previous government in 2009. The
legislation gives local authorities greater powers to control and
regulate sex establishments such as lap dancing, pole dancing and
table dancing clubs, strip shows, peep shows and live sex
shows.
Under the rules, sex establishments can be
curbed on the basis of the locality being unsuitable, if the
community supports this. Moral or equalities reasons cannot be used
to justify a restriction.
The consultation lasts for six weeks and
closes at 5pm on 17 October.
Residents, local businesses and organisations
can contribute to the consultation by visiting www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/consultation
and completing the online survey.
September 6, 2011