Local authorities are issuing fewer sex establishment licences than they were five years ago, new figures have revealed. The BBC England Data Unit submitted Freedom of Information requests to 327 councils that are responsible for issuing sex establishment licences and received 281 responses. The data showed that the number of licences issued by local authorities fell from 386 in 2013 to 256 in 2018.
Figures also revealed that the number of sex establishment licences went up between 2011 and 2013, due to the introduction of the Police and Crime Act 2009 requiring lap dancing establishments to apply for new licences.
However, since 2013, the number of active licences has fallen year-on-year, while no major English city has seen an increase in the number of sexual entertainment licences during this period.