How to make council meetings interesting
Those Cornwall councillors who toil away unnoticed on the Miscellaneous Licensing Committee might find this Friday's meeting attracts more attention than usual. For this meeting will shape Cornwall's approach to "Sexual Entertainment Venues" - specifically, lap-dancing clubs.
For debate are such issues as whether the council should limit the number of Sexual Entertainment Venues and the cost of licences. It looks like £3,200/year is the sort of price you'll need to pay if you're seeking to open such a venue.
It's usually fascinating to watch whenever the State seeks to regulate moral judgements and businesses inevitably try to find ways round the rules. As they scroll through the small print, the councillors will need to consider government-recommended definitions of "nudity" and the number of people needed to constitute an audience.
I'm ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Devon’s Graham Smith, blogging on news, views and some fresh insights into West Country life, particularly the way government works locally and nationally.
Comment number 1.
At 21st Apr 2010, Phil wrote:Interesting is not an adjective that jumps to the head of the queue to describe council meetings. Neither do councillors (and here I must declare an interest and plead guilty) do much to make them so. Nevertheless maybe just occasionally journalists would seek out some genuine interest in these proceedings rather than going for the easy hit. Perhaps Graham might rise to the challenge and enlighten us to the fascination of another item on the agenda of this licensing meeting?
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Comment number 2.
At 21st Apr 2010, Graham Smith wrote:It's possible that some people are fascinated by the licensing of taxis and/or street trading, in which case they will find just what they are looking for.
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