Pink Papers strip club allowed to stay open in Southend

Southend Council has renewed a licence for Pink Papers, in Lucy Road - just off the seafront - despite opposition from campaigners.

The council says the club can continue as long as it operates under rules and conditions including those relating to CCTV and dancers being fully dressed while not performing.

Bosses must also stop customers “loitering unnecessarily” when leaving and people must “vacate immediately” to “make the minimum impact upon the neighbourhood in relation to potential nuisance, antisocial behaviour, crime and disorder”.

But campaigners and residents have raised serious concerns about the measures to stop people committing crime or antisocial behaviour.

Husband and wife Alistair and Carly Cullins, from Southend, said the licence should not have been renewed.

Mr Cullins said: “I can’t see how they will enforce or police this and how the club bosses will put this into practice.

“There is a concern about how degrading a club like this it is to the women who work there. What are the club bosses going to do take them home by the hand and tell them not to misbehave.”

His wife Carly said she’s campaigned to stop similar clubs opening and running in the town in the past but to no luck.

She said: “They can tell customers not to behave badly but then they will be walking away all riled up and drunk there’s nothing stopping them from behaving badly later on.

“I don’t know what we are trying to do by having clubs like this and I do not think it should have had its licence renewed.”

The licensing meeting also heard how a council officer carried out a check on the club in October for Covid compliance. No issues were found.

The applicant’s representative told a licensing committee on March 25 there was no evidence to show the club causes or increases antisocial behaviour.

At the meeting, he also urged councillors to give special consideration to the dancers who lost income in the pandemic.