‘Exit strategy’ for managed zone and ‘review’ of licences for strip clubs needed, says councillor
A Leeds politician has called on decision makers to “review” the licences for the city’s strip clubs and for an “exit strategy” to be created for the city’s managed zone.
Speaking at a full Leeds City Council meeting, Coun Ryan Stephenson claimed that three of the four sexual entertainment venues in Leeds received Covid-related business support grants from the council.
He added that the managed zone in Holbeck, which permits sex work to take place in certain areas, needed to ultimately be scrapped – and that the council was avoiding speaking about both issues.
The leader of Leeds City Council hit back, accusing Coun Stephenson of “hypocrisy”, adding that the Conservative government has done nothing to enable councils to remove sexual entertainment licences.
Earlier in the meeting, Labour councillors Julie Heselwood and Al Garthwaite gave impassioned speeches around the need to combat violence against women, including calls to make misogyny a hate crime.
Coun Stephenson (Con) responded: “I agree with most of the comments made by Couns Garthwaite and Heselwood with one slight exception.