LAP dancing clubs in Glasgow could be banned as the council starts a consultation on licensing the venues.

Powers now available to the council include requiring Sexual Entertainment Venues to be licensed and the ability to put a cap on the number of licences issued in the city.

Legislation allows for setting the cap at zero, effectively banning clubs from operating.

The consultation is asking the public’s views on what the appropriate number of SEVs should be.

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Effectively, it is asking if there should be none at all or, if so, what localities should they be in, including residential areas, industrial areas, late night economy areas or the city centre as a whole.

Glasgow currently has four venues that would need to be licensed if the council goes ahead.

The consultation, running until August, is on whether lap dancing or “Sexual Entertainment Venues” should be licensed and if so what the number should be.

A SEV is defined as ‘any premises at which sexual entertainment is provided before a live audience for (or with a view to) the financial gain of the organiser”.

The licence conditions could include full details, names, dates of birth and nationality of performers to be available for inspection and immigration status checks to guard against human trafficking.

Hygienic changing facilities for the use of performers would need to be provided and security measures in place to ensure performers are able to leave safely.

The council could consider the location of premises and how close they are to schools, places of worship, women’s refuges, also the character of the area, if it is mostly residential or of historical or cultural importance.

Incidents in the area involving anti-social behaviour or sexual assaults or prostitution in the area could also be taken into account.

The interior of the venue would not be visible from the outside and advertisements would be regulated.

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The licensee would be responsible for ensuring there is no physical contact between performers and customers and ensure contact details are not exchanged.

Jan Macleod, of the Women’s Support Project in Glasgow said it wanted a limit of zero and for existing lap dancing clubs to be closed but was not sure the rules would allow closures.

She said: “Our organisation shares the Scottish Governments view that lap dancing, stripping etc are forms of sexual exploitation and that these activities are incompatible with gender equality.

“In our view the current lack of regulation puts women at risk, but it remains to be seen whether the new guidance will improve that situation.”

The Evening Times attempted to contact the four existing venues in the city, Diamond Dolls, Forbidden, Platinum Lace and Seventh Heaven, for comment, but no-one was available.