Purpose

The Council regulates street
trading under the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act
1982. This means that a consent is required in order to trade in
any street or other place to which the public have
access.
 
Officers propose making 3 minor
amendments to the process by which street trading is
regulated.

Decision

Make permanent the changes to event street
trading that have been trialled since 1 Apr 24.  This will see large event organisers apply for
consent on behalf of all traders, rather than each trader applying
individually.  The organiser will then
provide each trader with a copy of their consent.  This will create efficiencies for traders, event
organisers, and the Council.  As a
result, some street trading fees have been reduced, and officers
are instead able to spend more time on compliance and enforcement
activity to ensure events are safe and successful.
 
Return the regulation of street trading in
parks to Regulation & Enforcement from Operations.  Regulatory & Licensing Committee moved this to
Operations in March 2022.  Returning it
will properly separate the Council’s responsibilities as
landowner and as regulator, secure parity regardless of where the
trading takes place, help protect the public (for example, through
food hygiene inspections), and ensure compliance with the Act.
 
Implement a requirement that all food traders
must have a minimum food hygiene rating of 4, except for food
traders that are registered in Lichfield district and awaiting
inspection, and that all food traders must display their
rating.  This will maintain the high
standards expected of food events in Lichfield district, and help
in protecting the public, whilst still allowing local start-up
businesses to trade without delay.  Any
traders awaiting inspection would then be prioritised for
inspection by environmental health officers. Traders will also be
required to display their rating, empowering consumers to make
informed decisions.