The mayor, the dean and the lapdancing club

Stephen Bates in The Guardian follows up the row about the Tooley Street lapdancing club that we reported on Wednesday:

For centuries, the south bank of the Thames has had an exotic reputation for theatres, taverns, bear gardens and ladies of easy virtue. But a late night nude lap dancing club promising "an erotic and fun night out for the guys" may be the most controversial.

Ken Livingstone, the mayor of London, and the Very Rev Colin Slee, the dean of Southwark, are already united in outrage. And the fight may become a test case for residents alarmed that the relaxation of licensing regulations effectively prevents them from opposing undesirable developments. Moral objections are not taken into consideration.