Highland Council considering strip bar consultation that could see them disappear from Inverness and elsewhere

Highland Council aims to strip off the layers of public opinion and launch a formal consultation on lap dancing bars.

It is one of only six councils in Scotland which have lap dancing bars in their area with five already engaged in or planning to launch consultations.

That comes after Scottish Government legislation which allows councils to limit the number of sex venues, including reducing them to zero.

Glasgow has already launched a consultation process that triggered a campaign by the city’s lap dancers demanding to be part of the process.

A Highland Council spokeswoman has confirmed the local authority is planning to do something similar.

She said: “The Highland Council has not, to date, taken any action in relation to the licensing of sexual entertainment venues.

“This is something that will be looked at this year with the intention to launch a similar consultation to the one currently under way by Glasgow City Council.”

Last week, Edinburgh launched its consultation with Aberdeen and Fife councils both saying they would follow while Dundee has yet to make a decision.

Inverness currently has one "gentlemen's club" called Private Eyes that is part of a chain with two venues in Aberdeen and one in Dundee.

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