Street Trading Policy consultation 2024

Consultation closes: Wednesday 18 December 2024
Consultation opened: Thursday 7 November 2024

We are planning to update our Street Trading Policy to make the process and requirements clearer for applicants and encourage more self-service.

Additionally, we aim to introduce stricter safety checks for traders to ensure that businesses operating in Central Bedfordshire meet all relevant legislation, such as health and safety and food hygiene. Those failing to comply will not be granted consent to operate.

The proposed changes

Making our process and requirements clearer to applicants by:

• making it clear when renewal applications should be submitted and advise that it is the consent holder’s responsibility to ensure the application is submitted in time
• defining when transfers of street trading consents may be permitted and the manner in which they should be applied for
• introducing reasonable use of a trading consent, requiring static traders to advise us if they do not intend to use their pitch for periods of 2 weeks or more (failure to make reasonable use of the site/pitch may result in the consent being revoked)

Introducing more safety checks that require:

• applicants for street trading consent to provide evidence of food hygiene training for every person who will be working at the van/stall
• applicants using a motorised vehicle to trade from to provide a valid MOT certificate and insurance certificate
• a gas safety certificate from the trader if they will be using gas
• portable appliance testing (PAT) certificates for all mains powered electrical equipment
• businesses selling food to have a food hygiene rating of 3 or higher (new businesses will have one month's grace period to meet this requirement)

Updates about locations and time periods that require:

• traders to be categorised as either static or mobile (e.g. ice cream vans); following complaints about mobile traders staying in one spot too long, we propose setting time limits to prevent extended stays in one location
• a minimum distance of 100 metres and restricted trading hours from 7:30am to 5:30pm during term time, unless otherwise agreed (due to concerns about ice cream vans near schools)
• the introduction of a daily consent valid for a period of up to 24 hours; this would allow for more traders to take part in events
• a time limit of 30 minutes for mobile traders staying in one place unless otherwise agreed
• removing the requirement for mobile traders to provide trading routes and instead grant their consent for Central Bedfordshire
• written permission from the landowner if the trader wishes to trade on private land
• we no longer refuse applications if there is already a similar provision in the vicinity

Regarding right to work, we will:

• require street trading applicants to provide proof of their right to work in the UK, as best practice for compliance
• consider adding a "reasonable use" requirement to the policy, to prevent pitches from being unused for extended periods

Future proposal

We would also like to gather your views on transitioning away from diesel and petrol generators in the future. While this is not part of our current consultation, we are considering a phased approach for the future. We would like to know if there any challenges or barriers the industry might face if this shift were to be proposed and consulted on in the future.