At a meeting today Newcastle City Council granted an entertainment licence to turn the old Manors Social Club into a strip club and lap-dancing lounge. Councillors backed the application even though they had a clear legal right to turn it down.

Tourists, shoppers, office-workers and church-goers in Carliol Square will soon have to rub shoulders with up to 500 patrons of the £1.3 million development.

Simon Calvert, Deputy Director of The Christian Institute addressed Councillors on the Licensing Committee before they made their decision. After the meeting Mr Calvert said:

"Newcastle's families were sickened when the Council went out of its way last year to encourage the selling of sleazy pornography at the Xsensual event at the Arena. Now it is backing a strip club operator that wants to bring it's degrading business to the City.

Labour Councillors in Sheffield have opposed similar developments in their city tooth and nail. But here in Newcastle the Labour group appears to want sex-based businesses to operate in the heart of the city. They don't even care that this venue is near the Laing Art Gallery, an historical tourist attraction, a major Church, an NHS clinic and two gyms.

Last year the Council gave it's backing to the Xsensual sex show which went on to lose £200,000. The promoter called his own show a "spectacular failure". One local paper said it "proved a big turn-off with North East punters" and described the event as a "damp squib". Another paper said Geordies "stayed away in droves".

Despite the fact that locals didn't want it, the Council fought us all the way to the High Court to defend their decision to grant the sex shop licence for the event. Today they showed a similar determination over bringing a full-time lap-dancing bar to the City. There was a high level of public concern shown at the meeting today and the Councillors ignored all of it.

This form of "entertainment" is degrading to women and morally wrong. It teaches men to regard women merely as objects of lust. I am appalled that the Council wants to send out this message, and to attract more men who think like this to the city "

For further information contact:
Simon Calvert on 0191 281 5664

Note for Editors: The Christian Institute is a charity which seeks to promote the Christian faith and give a Christian perspective on moral and ethical issues.