Strippers have criticised Bristol City Council for taking more than a year to decide whether lap-dancing clubs in the city will be able to stay open or not.
At present, there are two sexual entertainment venues (SEVs) in Bristol, both in the city centre, that would face closure if Bristol City Council’s licensing committee goes ahead with a proposal to withdraw licences for the venues. So far, no decision has been made on the new policy on SEVs, which was out for public consultation until mid-December.
Bristol City Council’s draft licensing policy has sparked a debate which has caused bitter divisions. The results from the consultation have not yet been published by the council and no date has been set for the licensing committee meeting where the decision will be made.
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If the new policy is adopted by the council, both of the existing venues – sister venues Urban Tiger and Central Chambers – would be forced to close or change their business. Women who work in the city's two sexual entertainment venues have threatened a judicial review against the city council, if it goes ahead with the proposal.
In a statement to full council today (Tuesday, March 15), the Bristol Sex Workers Collective said: "The 8th of March, International Women's Day, marked a year since the licensing committee decided to unexpectedly put Bristol's strippers livelihoods in jeopardy, of whom most are women.
"It has been over 365 days for us not to know whether come September, we will keep on being able to work in the venue and city of our choice and do so in a safe environment.
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"It would be unacceptable for any other worker to have this much uncertainty around their livelihoods for this long. This entire process has been extremely stressful on people who just wish to do their jobs peacefully.
"Once again, the mental health of a set of workers - which is predominantly female and working class - has been disregarded. A significant number of dancers have dependents and do not know how they will put food on the table in a few months time.
"It is unacceptable to ignore our distress and make this process drag on any longer."
Both of Bristol’s strip club venues had their licences renewed in September last year by the council’s licensing committee, after councillors heard both clubs had met all the requirements of their licence conditions, and the police had not objected.
During Central Chambers’ licensing sub-committee hearing, women’s rights campaigners urged the panel to refuse the application, with one of the 67 objectors saying: “The dehumanisation of women makes it easier for men to behave violently towards women.”
In December, two members of the Bristol Women's Commission shared their views about why strip clubs in the city should have to close and claimed that shutting the venues would help tackle "the epidemic of sexual and gender-based violence". This debate has at its core differing views of feminism - one side believing women have a right to work at sexual entertainment venues and the other stating these venues need closing down as they profit from, and contribute to, gender inequality.
However, the the Bristol Sex Workers Collective continued: "To this day, there is still no credible evidence that closing down strip clubs will somewhat improve society and make it any safer. It is time that policy makers stop listening and pandering to white middle class lobbying groups and instead centre the voices and experiences of sex workers when making decisions on their livelihoods.
"We are the experts in our own field. This council cannot claim to protect women and people of marginalised identities when it has repeatedly failed to give us a seat at the table. Strippers are mostly women too, we want to live and work free from violence.
"Taking safe workplaces away from a group of marginalised workers is an act of violence in itself. We are once again asking you to choose harm reduction over criminalisation. As long as poverty exists, sex work will not stop happening in this city - no matter what the laws and policies say."
The statement will be presented as part of the public forum at tonight's (Tuesday, March 15) full council meeting of Bristol City Council.
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