ABSTRACT
In April 2010, the Policing and Crime Act came into effect, changing key components of the licensing of the UK striptease industry. This chapter reviews the change in licensing regulations during 2008 to 2012 that are set to govern the striptease industry for the foreseeable future. It discusses the empirical data from interviews with dancers and regulation officials namely police licensing officers and licensing and enforcement officers to provide new voices within the debate over licensing reform. It argues that this licensing has been something of an 'empty shell' in terms of core issue of working conditions. It further argues that the reform has left gaps in which exploitative management and unfair practices are able to prevail, leaving dancers on the peripheries, with little labour protection. The chapter points out that despite dancers' invisibility, there is the potential for local authorities to use new powers positively to make changes to licensing conditions that protect dancers' working conditions and well-being.
