COLCHESTER Council is set to debate proposed changes to its policy on sex establishments in the borough.

The changes to its policy on sex shops, sexual entertainment venues and sex cinemas will reflect a trend in such services moving online.

The council is expected to approve the changes at a meeting this evening.

The debate follows a meeting of the authority's licensing committee in July, when council officer Jon Ruder responded to questions from councillors about the policy.

At the previous meeting, Mr Ruder confirmed swingers clubs in Colchester now count as licensable venues and can be controlled by councils.

Councillor Roger Buston raised concerns the council had previously encountered “problems” with a swingers club in London Road, Colchester, but the licensing department had been unable to intervene, angering residents.

He said: “Members who have been here for a few years will remember the problems we had a few years ago relating to a premises that opened in London Road that involved a swingers club and licensing was not able to be involved in that, much to the annoyance of considerable members of the public.”

He later said: “Clearly we want to be able to avoid that problem in the future, whereby members of the public think the council is completely useless and doesn’t actually control anything that it should be controlling.”

Mr Ruder said the Essex joint licensing forum, of which he is chairman, had discussed sexual entertainment venues.

He said: “There is an agreement cross-county they are all licensable and as such moving forward we would consider them in relation to the voyeurism issue, of partaking or watching."

The minutes of the previous meeting, which will be reviewed by the full council, confirmed there is "only one licensed sex establishment in the borough which is trading".

They add: "It could be inferred that online activities may have contributed to a reduction in the number of physical licensed premises.

"In the past, Colchester had four licensed sexual entertainment premises, two shops and two clubs, however, it was always possible that further applications would be received in the future."