Lisa Nandy MP

11 June 2015HOUSE OF COMMONS

LONDON SWIA OAA

Ms Donna HallChief ExecutiveWigan CouncilTown HallWigan WN11YN

I am writing to object to the renewal of the license for the Sexual Entertainment venue, BabyPlatinum at 58 King Street, Wigan WN11BT, and, in particular, to the continuation of the variationof condition 30(g) of the Council's Standard Conditions for Sexual Entertainment Venues. I havealso written directly in the same terms to Alan Blundell, Assistant Director of Regulation,Councillor Paul Prescott, Chairman of the Planning Committee & Licensing Committee and toJoanne Brockley, Licensing Development & Improvement Officer at Wigan Council's TradingStandards & Licensing Section.

License Renewal

Since the license was granted, I have been contacted by a number of constituents who have raisedconcerns about the nature of this business and the impact on safety and security in the towncentre, and I echo those concerns. This is an area that is already significantly under strain, withmany late night, licensed venues and a high incidence of anti-social behaviour, as the council andpolice have acknowledged with the arrangements on King Street, which is gated to protect thepublic, and the exclusion zone granted due to aggressive begging which has now been in placesince February 2013.

While this establishment has been operational I have seen for myself customers outside thepremises at night and I am deeply concerned that women should feel intimidated, unsafe andvulnerable in Wigan town centre as a consequence.

There are also a number of charities operating in either King Street itself or in close proximity whocater for extremely vulnerable members of the public. The domestic violence charity, DIAS basedin Rodney House in King Street support both men and women who are experiencing or recoveringfrom domestic violence and abusive relationships with the aim of ensuring they feel supported,safe and secure. The charity, Victim Support is based in the nearby Life Centre who supportvictims or witnesses of crime including extremely vulnerable children and young people. BetaNetcafe, based at 64 King Street Wigan is an established charity that offers basic training andsupport for vulnerable adults with the aim of increasing their confidence and life skills to enablethem to live as independently as possible. The Brick Homeless Project and Food Bank is alsoextremely close to King Street and supports vulnerable people in crisis including those with socialdifficulties, mental health problems, the elderly and homeless by working in partnership with a

Lisa NandyMember of Parliament for Wigan

Tel: 01942 242047 Fax: 01942 239451Email: lisa.nandy.mp@parliament.uk Website: www.lisanandy.co.uk

wide range of agencies and support groups in the area. Coops Foyer is also located nearby whichoffers a safe environment for vulnerable young people who require both support andaccommodation which cannot be accessed elsewhere.

I note that as part of the application process Greater Manchester Police, Greater Manchester Fireand Rescue, the Council's Planning Section, Business Compliance and Improvement Section andLocal Ward Councillors must be consulted. I understand that while Greater Manchester Policehave advised that they have no objections to the renewal of the licence, the Local WardCouncillors intend to lodge a further formal objection to both the renewal of the licence and thecontinuation of the variation of condition 30{g).

Whilst I have been informed that the bodies who must be consulted are not required to provideevidence as to why they have no objection I do not understand why such conclusions can bereached without documented evidence of any mapping exercises conducted to monitor the effectthat the operation of Baby Platinum has had upon the area, in respect of the Cumulative ImpactPolicy detailed in the relevant sections of the enclosed Home Office Guidance on the Licencing Act2003.

Given the large number of licensed premises operating in King Street and the number of peoplepresent, especially at weekends, I believe the area constitutes a saturation zone and that theestablishment of this premises has an impact on health and safety and, as a consequence, mayhave an impact on the likelihood of criminal activity in the area.

Given the strain on the local area and the community who live in and around the town centre, Iwish to formally object to the renewal of this licence on Cumulative Impact grounds.

Variation of condition 30(g)

The Regulation Committee held on 8 July 2014 made a decision to vary condition 30{g) of theCouncil's standard licence conditions for sexual entertainment venues. I made representations atthe time to both the Council and the Chair of the Regulation Committee. I was later informed thatthe decision was made democratically and in line with the Local Government (Miscellaneous)Provisions Act 1982 and the Council were duty bound to 'mirror' this Act.

Whilst I recognise that the Council must make decisions in line with the Act, for the reasons I haveoutlined I believe the Council does have the power to refuse the application. It is also clear thatthe Council decide whether or not to vary the condition. The exercise of this power has precedentand I have attached the minutes from Calderdale Council where a similar application wasconsidered in October 2014. As you can see, Calderdale Council rejected the removal of thecondition that requires dancers to wear a g-string at all times condition for the following reasons:

i. significant concerns regarding public safety of the dancers and vulnerable members ofthe public in the vicinity of the premises and

ii. the increased likelihood of crime and disorder

Similarly, Birmingham City Council also refused an application for a sexual entertainment venuelicence on the grounds that granting such a licence would be inappropriate in regards to thecharacter of the locality and the use to which any premises in the vicinity are put under groundsset out in paragraph 12(3)(d) of Schedule 3 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous) ProvisionsAct 1982.

Given these examples and the point I have raised in respect of the decision that the Committeecould have made I find it difficult to understand why the Committee could not have chosen toreject the application and/or have refused to accept the variation of condition 30(g) and I object inthe strongest terms to this being accepted again.

I would also be grateful for an assurance that any member of the public who submits a formalobjection is informed of the date of the committee meeting and invited to attend in line with item4.25 of appendix A of the Regulation Committee agenda held on 8 July 2014.

I would be grateful for an assurance that my own and my constituents' objections will be fullytaken into account by the committee and I look forward to your earliest response.

Yours sincerely

~ Usa Nandy MP

Encs