(a)

due to the Covid 19 pandemic the financial pressures placed on existing street traders during the 2021/22 trading year, teamed with the decrease in footfall in the city centre, there had been no increase in consent fees;

(b)

2021/2022 had been a challenging year for all street traders and the issues that hit the high street at the start of the pandemic in March 2020 had continued through this financial year with most traders experiencing the strain of price rises and less income with no grants to assist them this year;

(c)

it was proposed that there was no increase in consent fees for city centre street traders for the 2022/23 trading year, in order to support street traders to continue to trade;

(d)

it was further proposed that there was a restructure of consent fees for the ice cream trading pitches for the 2022/23 year; during 2020 and 2021 several establishments along the waterfront had started to sell ice cream from their premises, some operating on to the highway; this had caused upset and some anger between traders;

(e)

the ice cream traders had highlighted the difference in site fees along the ice cream sites on the waterfront and there had been historically a large difference in consent fees; however, the footfall had changed as have the locations and parking arrangements for the ice cream vehicles, so it was proposed that there was a levelling out of fees across the waterfront; this means that the highest consent payers would not have an increase in fees but others would; the sites would be equal opportunity for all traders with the new price proposal with street trading suffering no loss of income;

(f)

the ice cream consent holders had asked for consideration to be given for them to extend their offer to include hot drinks and hot snacks from the mobile ice cream vans; this would provide a fair opportunity for trade over the colder months; all consent holders would need to meet all health and safety and hygiene requirements;

(g)

it was therefore proposed that the paragraph in the application form (permitted trades for ice cream pitches) was changed to ‘all the trading locations would be allocated for the sale of ice cream, frozen confectionery, hot and cold soft drinks; hot drinks and snacks may be  permitted on application, the decision with regard to the acceptable type of trade at each location would be decided as part of the application process in consultation with the Chair of the Licensing Committee and lead opposition member’.

(h)

whether in order to alleviate the large increase in consent fees, for some of the consent holders, could be phased in over a period of time;

(i)

concerns relating to the type of hot snacks that the ice cream consent holders could provide; for examples no burgers or chips would be acceptable;

(j)

whether the ice cream mobile vehicles would be complaint in order to be able to use the proposed electrical charging points;

(k)

sought clarification -

?

as to the process that would be adopted in order to ensure that consent holders used the electrical charging points once they had been introduced;

?

as to how long the work would take to complete the installation of the electrical charging points, in order to avoid disruption to this busy location and whether the power companies had been consulted;

?

as to the type of vehicle that would be permitted with the proposal to permit hot drinks and snacks to be sold by consent holders;

?

that should the Committee approve the phase-in of the fees for some of the consent holders what would be the proposal to amend the figures stated in the report (with this be done at this meeting or outside of this forum).

(1)

the approval of the consent dates for 2022/23 as 1 April 2022 – 31 March 2023;

(2)

the approval of the consent fees for 2022/23, as set out in Appendix A;

(3)

that the Service Director for Economic Development has delegated authority to approve, within Committee policy, the issuing of consents to existing city centre traders, seeking to continue trading;

(4)

that the Service Director for Economic Development has delegated 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 the lead opposition member;

(5)

that the Service Director for Economic Development has delegated authority to approve within Committee policy short-term street trading consents in association with other city centre events and commercial activity;

(6)

that the Service Director for Economic Development has delegated authority to approve and set fees for ad hoc street trading applications, within Committee policy;

(7)

that the Service Director Economic Development has delegated authority to approve, within Committee policy the issuing of consents to existing ice cream traders seeking to continue trading;

(8)

that the Service Director for Economic Development has delegated 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 and lead opposition member;

(9)

that the Service Director for Economic Development has delegated authority to approve, within Committee policy, the issuing of consents to existing Hoe and Madeira Road Waterfront trading sites seeking to continue trading;

(10)

for the Hoe and Madeira Road Waterfront trading sites the Licensing Committee delegate approval to the Licensing Sub Committee for all new applications;

(11)

to approve the proposal for ice cream consent holders to also serve hot drinks/snacks from mobile ice cream vehicles; the decision with regard to the acceptable type of trade at each location would be decided as part of the application process in consultation with the Chair of the Licensing and lead opposition member.