Go-ahead for longer hours at Inverness lap dancing bar

Lap dancers in Inverness can now perform until 3am all week - despite NHS Highland claims they are being sexually exploited and it "degrades" woman’s bodies.

The health board’s efforts to thwart the extended opening hours sought by Academy Street-based Private Eyes was rejected by the Highland Licensing Board on Tuesday.

Councillors backed the controversial application after the board had approved the Highlands’ first ever lap dancing venue in May.

Its previous opening hours were 7pm to 3am from Thursday to Sunday, and 7pm until 1am between Monday to Wednesday.

Up to 15 women perform in the venue each night.

NHS Highland’s director of public health Dr Margaret Somerville had claimed the club was abusing the dancers’ employment rights by creating "a sexually exploitative situation" and was concerned that women working at the club had to pay an up-front nightly fee to work there, which she alleged was £85.

That was rejected by club owner Shane Manning prior to the meeting who insisted the surcharge was a "lot less" on most nights and he said Dr Somerville had no right to meddle in employment issues.

But Liz Smart, a NHS Highland public health consultant, claimed it was a commercially exploitative practice for women.

"Lap dancing clearly reinforces stereotypes of womens’ bodies, being of use to men," she told the board. "There is a high risk for women involved in this type of work whereas the risk to the nightclub is low."

Ms Smart also claimed the club had stated it would not pursue extended opening times when it originally won board approval and queried its links with a website called Sin City.

A women’s group had raised concerns in August that the website was flouting licensing laws by advertising fees for nude dancers who were needed "urgently to work in Inverness."

Private Eyes refuted any association with the website and its solicitor Lorna Murray said her clients had taken the authors "to task."

Ms Murray said it was clear there was a "newly developing thread" of opposition from objectors but insisted their claims were not valid when assessing the application.

She said it was a well-run licensed venue offering adult entertainment which had not sparked any complaints from the police or other parties.

"In my opinion there is no option other than to support the application," said the solicitor, who added that the club had stated back in May that commercial factors would influence its opening hours plan.

Inverness West councillor Allan Duffy said he did not support the 3am application because no other city nightclub had similar opening hours all week and did not want a precedent set.

But the city’s licensing standards officer Ian Cox said there were two other nightspots which did hold those licences.

He said Private Eyes had an "unobtrusive" impact on the city centre and did not stand out as being particularly "outrageous."

But board convener Maxine Smith said that was a matter of opinion.

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