The ban, passed this week by a nine-to-five vote, puts Parramatta City Council at odds with the State Government that requires councils to make room in their local environmental plans for brothels and sex-related services.

The ban’s implementation will require the “concurrence” of the NSW Department of Planning.

Parramatta council claims to be the first in the state to legally deny the supply of power and water to brothels deemed to be operating illegally.

Its latest move in the battle against the proliferation of brothels since the decriminalisation of sex services in 1995 has drawn applause from the Australian Christian Lobby that is urging all other councils in Australia to follow suit.

But Dubbo City Council’s environmental services director Melissa Watkins has put the kybosh on immediate action.

“Dubbo council doesn’t intend to breach the legislation,” she said.

“We will keep an eye on the outcome.”

The director said the existing Dubbo local environmental plan provided for the locating of sex services in industrial areas, as did the city’s new draft plan.

Ms Watkins said council had given development consent to one brothel in Dubbo, and when asked if there were any operating illegally in the city, declared “not that I’m aware of”.

Former deputy lord mayor of Parramatta Cr Chiang Lim has voted against all applications for the establishment of brothels that have come before him.

“The prohibition of brothels and sex-related services in the Parramatta local government area is a direct response of the inability of Parramatta City Council to best represent the interests of our community against the imposition of such services by the NSW state government, and our blunted ability to successfully defend our community’s interests in the NSW Land and Environment Court against brothels,” he said.

Australian Christian Lobby spokeswoman Michelle Pearse said research showed that legalising brothels “only increases harm to women and children by causing a massive expansion of the industry”.