Agenda and draft minutes

To receive any announcements from the chair and general housekeeping matters.

The chair welcomed everyone to the meeting, outlined the procedure to be followed and advised on emergency evacuation arrangements.

To record apologies for absence. 

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Kiera Bentley, Patrick O’Leary and Bethia Thomas.

To adopt and sign as a correct record the General Licensing Committee minutes of the meeting held on 16 December 2024.

RESOLVED: to approve the minutes of the meeting held on 16 December 2024 as a correct record and agree that the Chair sign them as such.

To receive any declarations of disclosable pecuniary interests and any conflicts of interest in respect of items on the agenda for this meeting.  

There were no declarations of interest.

To receive notification of any matters which the chair determines should be considered as urgent business and the special circumstances which have made the matters urgent.

There was no urgent business.

To receive any questions or statements from members of the public that have registered to speak. 

There were no registered speakers.

To consider the report of the Head of Communities in respect of the revised street trading policy and to consider adoption of the new policy.

Officers presented the report to members. The purpose of the report was to present the results of the consultation on the revised joint street trading policy and to seek approval for the new policy, subject to any further amendments. The report indicated that 49 responses were received, showing broad support for the proposed changes.

Details of changes made to the policy as a result of the comments received were provided. These changes mainly sought to clarify matters rather than significantly altering the policy.

It was proposed to implement the new policy from 1st April 2025. This timeline would allow for the adoption and amendment of forms, the production of guidance on sustainability aspects, and liaison with existing consent holders to ensure they were clear on the changes required for future applications.

The Chair opened the floor for questions.

The committee raised a question about the conditions regarding basic Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks for applicants. Officers explained that guidelines were provided in Annex 3 and focused on protecting the public. They clarified that relevant offences included violence and safeguarding matters.

Officers clarified that these requirements applied only to the consent holder and not to every individual working for them. However, they emphasised the importance of ensuring that the person running the business had undergone the appropriate checks and training and confirmed that the policy prohibits a subcontracting agreement to ensure the applicant is the person on site running the business. Officers also confirmed that basic disclosures covered all live convictions, including drug offences, but not spent convictions. Enhanced DBS checks were not permitted for street traders.

The committee also enquired about shops near schools selling cheap, poor-quality food. Officers confirmed that vehicles must not trade or park within 100 metres of any educational establishment during school hours (8.00am to 4.00pm). They mentioned that there was a comment in the consultation about extending this distance, Officers expressed concern about unintended consequences of extending the restricted area and it was recommended that the policy not be changed at present.

The committee suggested adding a sentence to Annex 1, paragraph 11, to ensure vehicles complied with all applicable laws. Officers agreed this would be helpful, noting it was similar to the food hygiene requirements.

Members asked about pubs providing food without proper infrastructure. Officers explained that the policy clarified how such applications were handled. Members also enquired about consultation process for new applicants of stalls operating from the same site on different days. Officers confirmed that one consultation was conducted per site, allowing future consents for different traders without additional consultations, thus streamlining the process and reducing fees.

A motion, moved and seconded to approve the revised policy, subject to an amendment to Annex 1, paragraph 11, to ensure vehicles complied with all applicable laws was carried on being put to the vote.

RESOLVED: That the revised street trading policy as set out and amended be approved.