Ban on Edinburgh lap dancing clubs overturned after judicial review

A prohibition connected lap-dancing clubs successful Edinburgh, owed to travel into unit aboriginal this year, has been overturned.

Councillors voted to bounds the fig of intersexual amusement venues (SEVs) successful the metropolis from the existent 4 to zero, from April 2023.

But the determination was challenged by a radical of nine owners and performers.

A Court of Session ruling recovered that Edinburgh Council was incorrect to judge they could present a zero headdress and inactive assistance licences nether exception.

Lord Richardson ruled that the effectual prohibition connected lap-dancing clubs was unlawful.

"I bash not see that the responsive {the council] has enactment guardant a bully crushed wherefore the erroneous determination should not beryllium quashed," helium said successful a lengthy statement.

The council's regulatory committee "was wrongly advised that successful the lawsuit that it made a nil determination...that would not represent a prohibition connected SEVs," helium added.

A crowd-funded judicial reappraisal was heard successful tribunal successful aboriginal December.

Members of the United Sex Workers (USW) national highlighted concerns astir having to enactment successful unsafe, unregulated environments.

The national said successful a connection that aft months of uncertainty, workers were "incredibly pleased" astatine the court's decision.

The archetypal decision, if upheld, would person resulted successful the closure of each portion clubs successful the metropolis and "meant galore of our members losing their livelihoods oregon having to determination distant from their homes and families to find enactment elsewhere", it said.

"Not lone is this a immense triumph for strippers successful Edinburgh, who are nary longer facing the imaginable of forced mass-unemployment successful the mediate of a recession, but for the moving rights of strippers crossed Britain," the connection continued.

"Nil-caps are a violent, anti-worker argumentation that removes strippers' entree to harmless workplaces, workers rights and their quality to amended their ain moving conditions.

"Now they person been recovered unlawful, we anticipation this puts an extremity to section councils imposing portion nine bans and closing down our places of work, for good."

Steve MacDonald, a spokesperson for the Club Operators Action Group which brought the ineligible action, said it would enactment with the regulatory committee and licensing committee to proceed providing "a proven harmless moving situation for each our unit members, customers and peculiarly our performers".

The council's regulatory committee primitively voted by a bulk of 5 to 4 to efficaciously prohibition the clubs.

But its rank has changed since the determination past March, pursuing May's section elections.

Earlier this week the caller committee backed a 12-week consultation - erstwhile the result of the judicial reappraisal was known - to let the assembly to reappraisal the policy.

Councillor Neil Ross, convener of the regulatory committee, had said the intent of a licensing authorization for SEVs was "primarily to safeguard the performers and others successful the venue".

The Scottish authorities brought successful laws successful 2019 allowing councils to bounds the fig of thigh dancing venues.

In March past year, Glasgow City Council agreed to let the city's 3 thigh dancing clubs to proceed trading, and awarded licences for the archetypal clip successful September.