The Head of Regulatory Services and Community Safety has submitted a report to advise the Committee on the results from the public consultation on proposed changes to the Street Trading Policy and recommend a proposed Final Version of the Policy, for onward recommendation to Council.

Recommendations: That the General Purposes Licensing Committee resolves to:

1.    Note the outcomes from the public consultation on the Street Trading Policy review timeline;

2.    Endorse the Final Draft Street Trading Policy 2023 at Appendix B;

3.    Recommend the endorsed Policy to Council for adoption with effect from 01 April 2023, with section 5.9 (single use plastics) to take effect on 01 October 2023.

The Head of Regulatory Services and Community Safety had submitted a report to advise the Committee on the results from the public consultation on proposed changes to the Street Trading Policy and recommend a proposed Final Version of the Policy, for onward recommendation to Council.

The Business Regulation Team Manager introduced the report. It was highlighted that nearly a hundred representations from members of public, groups and street traders were received as a result of the public consultation that was carried out between 12 December 2022 and 13 January 2023.

The Business Regulation Team Manager also advised the Committee of the government ban on single-use plastics that would be introduced in October 2023 and gave assurance that BRT officers were to monitor its progress and advise should further changes to the Street Trading Policy were needed.

The Committee commented on the following points:

·         The provision on bins and requirements surrounding street traders outside the 20 metre parameter of a public litter bin.

·         Street trader responses received from the consultation and their general position on the proposed changes to the policy.

·         Inconsistencies in the conditions relating to the use of single-use plastics, recycled and part recycled materials as set out in the policy, section 28 and 29.

·         Clarity on charities and small events’ exemption as stipulated in section 15.2.

Cllr Lygo raised a question regarding the stipulation on the 20 metre litter bin policy and pointed out that there were two smoking bins at the entrance of the Town Hall within 3 metres of each other, he then queried what the impact would be on the street traders near the site if these bins were to be removed in line with county's policies to be smoke free by 2025. The Business Regulation Team Manager stated that it would need to be worked out and check back for a conclusive answer.

The Committee challenged the proposed delayed enforcement of the single-use plastic ban to 01 October 2023 given the insubstantial response from street traders. It added that when the motion was first put to Council, street traders were given a window of opportunity to use up existing stock in anticipation of the changes to the existing street trading policy.

Cllr Diggins proposed an amendment to section 17 of the policy that would require street traders to provide their own food waste bins, however following discussions and confirmation that this amendment would require public response through another consultation, she withdrew the amendment proposal.

The Committee agreed to adopt the proposed amendments to the Street Trading Policy as follows:

·         Removal of Section 29 under Annex 1 General Conditions for Street Trading Consents, "All packaging and utensils for use by customers shall be made of recycled or part recycled materials."

·         Rewording of Section 15.2 by deleting the word 'requirements' and replacing it with 'fees'.

Members of the Committee had also put forward an amendment to the recommendations that would bring the proposal in its entirety for Council approval effective 01 April 2023.

The Committee resolved to:

1.    Note the outcomes from the public consultation on the Street Trading Policy review timeline;

2.    Endorse the Final Draft Street Trading Policy 2023 at Appendix B;

3.    Delegate authority to the Principal Lead Officer (Business Regulation Team) to make the amendments to the draft Street Trading Policy 2023 Proposed Final Version (Appendix B) set out above, in consultation with the Chair of the General Purposes Licensing Committee;

4.    Recommend the endorsed Policy in its entirety to Council for adoption with effect from 01 April 2023.