The owner of York’s only strip club says he prides himself on the way the venue is run and on making people feel safe.
Club 55 owner Andrew Elliott told councillors warnings to his clientele that they could be arrested or put on the sex offenders register for wrongdoing encouraged them to behave.
He added the Micklegate venue typically opened after families had left the area and he ran it so younger students including women at Ziggy’s nightclub downstairs felt safe.
It comes as Club 55’s bid to renew its sex establishment licence was approved on Monday, March 2 after an objector claimed the venue was fuelling drunken antisocial behaviour.
The objector, a Micklegate resident, alledged two groups of men had violently attacked one another in one incident which led to 10 police officers attending and an arrest.
They added the venue was operating in an area popular with tourists and families and claimed it was harming York’s reputation as a visitor destination.
City of York Council’s licensing and regulatory sub-committee met to rule on Club 55’s bid to stay open for another year, in line with legal requirements for such venues.
The club, which offers pole shows and lap dances, is licensed to open from 9pm to 3am on Fridays and Saturdays and from 6pm to 4.30am on race days.
No other objections were lodged in the run up to the hearing and councillors heard there were no legal reasons compelling refusal.
Mr Elliot told councillors measures at the venue included door staff policing those who enter and telling patrons CCTV cameras would record misdemenours which would be reported.
He added patrons had also been asked to leave IDs and drivers licences with staff during their visits.
The owner said: “We go above and beyond, we usually open at 11pm when hopefully families and younger people have gone, opening later on race days isn’t worth it because we’d attract undesirables.
“We run the nightclub downstairs which is extensively now for students, I pride myself on female students feeling safe with me around as a grandfather figure, I’ve been in hospitality all my life and I’ve held licences for 54 years.
“I impress upon those coming upstairs to be sensible, I lay down the law and say if you transgress you could be arrested and end up on the sex offenders’ register and you might not see your kids for a while, which usually calms them down somewhat.
“Some of the stag parties come in like lions and leave like lambs and it’s the girls who have the upper hand at the end of the day, though not in a physical way of course.
“We have few issues if any, I’m not after trouble and most people know that I’ve been here for an awful long time and they respect that.”
Committee Chair Cllr Jason Rose said the area had not changed in the years since Club 55 opened in 2006.
The Labour councillor said: “The objections around violence haven’t been backed up by the police and those are issues we have many times and in many places in the city centre.
“But they don’t relate specifically to the licence here.”
