A SEX shop in Andover could have its licence fee slashed by nearly £1,000 a year after the issue was debated at a council meeting last night.

Erotica Belle, on The Broadway, currently pays £1,460 a year to renew its annual licence as a sex establishment.

However this could fall to £478 after Test Valley Borough Council’s Licensing Committee met to discuss recommendations on the policy and procedures for determining sex establishment licences.

The new figure would be the fee charged for an application for the grant, transfer or renewal of a sex establishment licence.

An additional £785 would be payable on demand to the council if one or more objections are received by the council.

Previously, all applications had to go before the Licensing Committee for determination.

In late 2013, Erotica Belle’s owner, Jonathan Spencer, wrote to the council requesting that the committee grant delegated powers to council officers to deal with licence applications.

He argued that this would reduce time and costs for both committee members and council officers.

However, the committee at the time decided to stick with the existing protocol when they met the following May.

Due to a change in the committee’s membership, the chairman has decided to reconsider the request.