Proposals to reduce licensing fees for street trading are being recommended by St Albans City and District Council’s Local Services Scrutiny Committee.

At a meeting on Tuesday 7 January, the Committee recommended that the Licensing and Regulatory Committee implement a new two-tier licensing fee structure for street trading.

This follows a review by a Task and Finish Group after concerns were raised by local businesses and councillors that street trading fees were unreasonable.

The proposed fees are based on the actual cost of providing the licensing service. They are in line with a recent ruling in the case of Hemmings v Westminster City Council (2012) and the European Services Directive on the calculation of licensing fees.

The proposed fees are less than those currently charged and renewals will now attract a smaller fee than the initial grant.

Councillor Chris White, Chair of the Local Services Scrutiny Committee, said: “Street trading fees are a key element in the Council’s overall approach to supporting the local economy. The Committee has decided that they need to be looked at again as the law around setting licensing fees has recently changed. It has proposed a new fee structure, based on the actual cost of processing grants and renewals, and recommends that the Licensing and Regulatory Committee implements this.”

It is estimated that the proposed changes will result in an annual reduction in street trading fees of £9,000 for the Council.

For example, the fee for a static site is currently £750 for grant and renewal. Under the proposals, the fee for a grant will be reduced by £80 to £670 and for a renewal it will be reduced by £390 to £360.

For mobile sites the fee is currently £500 a year for grant and renewal. It is proposed that this will be reduced to £465 for a grant and to £245 for a renewal.

More information about the review into street trading fees is available in the papers for the meeting held on 7 January at:

http://stalbans.moderngov.co.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=389&MId=7176&Ver=4