Emily Bullimore (BID Street Operations & Trading Manager) delivered the ‘Annual Street Trading Report’ to the Committee, and highlighted the following points-

a)    Street Trading could legally only cover the costs of its operation such as staffing, enforcement, and maintenance, and could not be run for profit;

b)    This report aimed to maximise income for the Street Trading account, maximise a fair market rate for the street traders, and maximise the vibrancy and footfall of the city centre, particularly during its redevelopment;

c)    Having tested the market and trading conditions, it was recommended that market rent levels were kept at 2022/23 levels for the years 2023/24, to maintain trader numbers and generate the optimum income. Projections had showed this would generate an income of £88,000, leaving no surplus after operational costs;

d)    There was a considerable risk that the loss of a few traders would result in a financial deficit however, increasing rental prices would likely be more financially damaging. Plymouth City Council understood and sympathised with traders impacted by the redevelopment of the City Centre however, it was recognised by all parties that this work was essential to enhance its look, feel and footfall.

Following question from the Committee, it was highlighted that-

e)    Over the summer, a number of short-term street trader applications had been received however, due to the requirement to go to committee, many of these opportunities had been missed. The recommendations contained within this report would allow the Council to react faster to new requests, and thus maximise economic opportunities for both street traders and the Council;

f)     A 0% rent price rise was aimed to prevent the loss of any traders, which would result in a difficult financial position;

g)    There were ongoing plans to install electric hook-ups at all Ice-cream van sites across the city to prevent the requirement for engines to be running all day. As this came at a cost to both the Council (through instillation) and traders (through vehicle conversion), these electric points were being implemented in a phased approach to allow an easier transition, and prevent exclusion;

h)    Public complaints regarding street trading had been very low however, where necessary, the team had worked to overcome these issues with both residents and traders.

It was highlighted to the Committee that recommendation 10 contained a grammatical error, and should have read “…new traders or contested sites…” 

The Committee agreed to-

1. Approve the Consent dates for 2023/2024 as 1 April 2023 – 31 March 2024;

2. Approve the Consent fees for 2023/2024 as set out in Appendix A;

3. Delegate to the Service Director for Economic Development, authority to approve, within Committee policy, the issuing of Consents to existing city centre traders seeking to continue trading;

4. Delegate to the Service Director for Economic Development, authority to approve within Committee policy the issuing of Consents to new traders or contested sites for city centre sites in consultation with the Chair of the Licensing Committee and Lead Opposition member;

5. Delegate to the Service Director for Economic Development, authority to approve within Committee policy short-term street trading Consents in association with other city centre events and commercial activity;

6. Delegate to the Service Director for Economic Development, authority to approve and set fees for ad hoc street trading applications, within Committee policy;

7. Delegate to the Service Director for Economic Development, authority to approve within Committee policy the issuing of Consents to existing ice cream traders seeking to continue trading;

8. Delegate to the Service Director for Economic Development, authority to approve within Committee policy the issuing of Consents to new traders or contested sites for vacant ice cream sites in consultation with the Chair of the Licensing Committee andLead Opposition member;

9. Delegate to the Service Director for Economic Development, authority to approve within Committee policy the issuing of Consents to existing Hoe and Madeira Road Waterfront trading sites seeking to continue trading;

10. Delegate to the Service Director for Economic Development, authority to approve within Committee policy the issuing of Consents to new traders or contested sites for vacant Waterfront trading sites in consultation with the Chair of the Licencing Committee and Lead Opposition member.