Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Shades Up Before the Beak
So here's the thing, Shades in Leamington lost their license after a local councillor got some religious people to protest about the club and 600 signatures were put on a petition. No consultation just the removal of a license.
Well Leamington a hearing in Birmingham last month found there was reason to grant a judicial review.
As mention previously Jonathan Chilvers is a Christian and green party member. Yet the green party are pretty relaxed about sexuality so it is not the party stance but a personal and religious stance we are seeing from Mr Chilvers.
The Hindu Temple focuses on how many days it is open.... think the clue there is days. Not sure that sexually aroused men are really the threat Vik Tara thinks but of course we all know the smear tactics that are used against the clubs.
As the owner of Shades pointed out certain parties just want to take away people's livelihoods and close a legitimate business. The Police and environmental protection have no objections. So lets hope they get a judge who recognises that Shades has done everything correctly.
Good luck Shades in June.
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I read an article for this in the Coventry Telegraph today.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/south-warwickshire-news/2013/04/22/leamington-lap-dance-club-fight-goes-to-high-court-92746-33215428/
It's one thing to write in to object about a strip club, but to spend money on a judicial review to try and overturn the councils decision is unbelievable. Especially given that it's a well run club with no history of trouble.
So Mr Chilvers has now resorted to the old 'What about the children' argument even though the club doesn't open till 10pm. He was waffling on about not wanting to have to walk his daughters past the club on the way to the train station. His daughters are 4 and 5 months old*. What they are doing catching the last train out of Leamington (where they live)is beyond me?
Also(in the spirit of the Mrs Clown trip to the Theatre!)from looking at google maps in relation to where he lives to the train station. From post code CV31 2BL**, they could easily cut across to Tachbrook Road which would circumnavigate Shades which is located on Wise Street. This is one of the shortest possible routes on foot to the station too.
So Mr Chilvers can take his kiddies on that late night train journey after all, avoiding what must be a highly traumatic experience for him and his family of walking past the club!
Sources:
*http://leamington.greenparty.org.uk/news/jonathan-chilvers-your-candidate-in-leamington-brunswick.html
**http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Warwick1.pdf
It is the safe argument, everyone who has read the Hubbard report realise it is the most emotive one and therefore the one that is most likely to get the result they want. Doesn't matter how stupid the argument is, it is the only one that would generate enough angst.
DeleteI have e-mailed the Green party to ask if Chilvers is acting on party guidelines or his own christian morals just to see if anyone in the Greens is even aware of what he is doing. It is about time clubs were not harassed with this fiction about the kiddies when the outside looks like an ordinary bar and it is not open when children are going to be around.
So clubs beware, this argument will be thrown in your face every time. Therefore when preparing you submissions and license renewals show your awareness and ensure that nothing overt can be seen.
It will be interesting to see what the Green Party come back with. At the other end of the political spectrum i see this story has been doing the rounds today featuring Nigel Farage:
Deletehttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/10013535/Nigel-Farage-admits-going-to-a-strip-bar-as-an-MEP.html
Unusual to see a politician actually being supportive of strip clubs. I can't recall any others? Interesting to see that most of the comments on this story over the various news sites have been positive too.
This blog post (or the recent Coventry Telegraph article) is rather misleading and inaccurate. The newspaper report indicates that the Council granted a licence and that Mr Chilvers and co. are taking the Council's decision to allow the club to open to judicial review.
ReplyDeleteIn this case we need to be on the side of the Council who have granted a licence and rejected Mr Chilvers spurious arguments and his 600 petitioners. The Court has decided to investigate Mr Chilvers' concerns not those of Shades. If the judge supports the Council in this case and hopefully identifies the objections as moral ones then this will set an important precedent, in our favour.
If not, be afraid.....
The article has changed, the first version was the club was calling for the judicial review. Then the paper amended their version. Not reflecting well on any of us.
DeleteThere was a case in Glasgow where a couple of councillors took their own licensing committee to court over granting a club a license. They lost but the council picked up the tab for both sides ! Then the Church appealed the original Thurst Lodge's license 3 or 4 years ago and lost ending up with a large legal bill. Lets hope Chilvers gets lumped with the costs of this.
ReplyDeleteNotice incidentally that UKIP have a prospective councillor who owns Urban Tiger in Northampton and that Warrington has just given an SEV to a new club.
Tyke
Had a mail about Warrington this morning, not feeling so well at the moment so won't blog about till I have time to dig up all I can. I don't like Farage but he has been honest about the fact he has visited one and that they are legal. Stopped the interviewer a little there.
DeleteTonyN
Just watched the Daily Politics and the general view was that all the people canvasing for next Thursday's local government elections have commented that on the doorstep support for UKIP is startling. Given that the Conservatives are at the very best indiferent to strip clubs, Labour, Lib Dem, and now Greens openly hostile a smattering of UKIP councillors may well be a good thing particularly if some of them run clubs !
ReplyDeleteFarage has actually always said that when he worked in the City pre politics he used to visit lap dancing clubs in London but he had not the time anymore. I can't imagine any other senior politician saying that though I'd imagine many other MPs have in the past !
Tyke
I agree Tyke. In the case of Shades it was 5 Tory members who approved it's licence versus the 4 Lib Dem/ Labour Cllrs who opposed it. Generally this seems to be the trend politically but there are exceptions like the Tories who rejected the ST Lounge in Wilmslow.
DeleteIt would be interesting to see if UKIP Cllrs would follow their leaders views if any of them end up on licensing panels. They are supposed to be a libertarian party, but they do have some iffy policies and fall down on things like gay marriage for example.
Looking at the new Green Party leader Natalie Bennett, i see she is a 'feminist' and is a trustee of the Fawcett Society. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-19465606.
ReplyDeleteSo maybe chilvers is acting within party guidelines.
Whatever happened to this guys - what was the outcome? As a Leamingtonian myself (and interested in places to go when all the pubs close, Shades was seen as a haven) - albeit a haven with some innocent entertainment, good conversation and rocking music on a Saturday night. Matt
ReplyDeleteThe people who got the judicial review in place bottled it and dropped the whole thing. We will wait for a year and then see the whole thing again probably but if there are no issues and no changes in the area and claims to turn it round can be easily countered.
Delete