A NEW blueprint for keeping a watch over sexual entertainment venues has been agreed by councillors in Worcester.

The city council has settled upon a final dossier for monitoring venues like lapdancing clubs after months of in-house work.

Its publication has come alongside a new council report saying "local people have legitimate concerns" about where such venues are located.

The policy's key points are: - Anyone who has committed an offence, regardless of its nature, can be refused a licence on "discretionary grounds"

- The council can take into account the "character" of an area and use that to refuse an application entirely on its own

- Applications by schools, play areas, libraries, places of worship, youth clubs, leisure centres or other sexual entertainment venues face refusal

- Applying for a facility costs £3,978 and if a bid is refused the council has the right to withhold whatever amount is necessary to cover its own administration costs

- Stringent checks on the date of birth and passport information of any workers in a bid to stamp out people trafficking

- Any new bids for sexual entertainment venues in Worcester will result in formal consultation with local councillors, the police and safeguarding children's board, as well as other bodies

In recent years more and more lapdancing clubs have opened up across the country and back in March last year Worcester had its own, after Black Cherry in Lowesmoor started trading.

Before getting the premises in Lowesmoor it had applied to be located at the old Images nightclub in The Butts, but abandoned the bid after a barrage of complaints, mainly about its proximity to The Hive.

When Black Cherry opened, the club was allowed to trade without a sexual entertainment licence after the council failed to accept the right legislation when it had the opportunity, a loophole which has now closed.

The council says it has no concerns about that venue, but the says it needs a detailed policy in case it gets other applications.

The city's licensing committee has backed the blueprint after a unanimous vote.

Councillor Jo Hodges said: "The conditions suggested by the police have been included in the policy, and I'm happy to support it."

During the meeting calls were made to beef it up further but Councillor Chris Mitchell said: "I know there are concerns about people who work in these places but they have the choice as to whether they work there or not.

"Most of these places are well run, otherwise people don't go there and they won't get the business."