Dear Town/Parish Council
We wish to inform you that we are consulting on the content of a new Street Trading Consent Policy for Buckinghamshire Council. The feedback we received from a range of stakeholders, such as traders, businesses, residents, councillors, and responsible authorities / agencies has helped to shape the draft version of the policy. The draft policy was approved for public consultation by Licensing Committee on 27 February 2024.
Street trading is the sale or offering for sale of any article (including a living thing) in a street. A street includes any road, footway, or other area to which the public have access without payment. The definition is not limited to the public highway and can include the public realm and privately owned, but freely and publicly accessible areas such as open spaces and retail shopping centre car parks.
The draft policy is based on the recommendation that all streets in Buckinghamshire are designated as ‘consent’ streets, meaning that all street traders will need to obtain authorisation to trade, unless they are exempt by law or local dispensation. The draft policy provides details of these legal exemptions and suggested local dispensations.
The draft policy aims to
- ensure that there is a clear and consistent framework for regulating street trading in Buckinghamshire
- provide specific criteria street traders are required to meet in order to obtain consent
- ensure street trading will be appropriate to the environment and in line with the council’s corporate plan and health and wellbeing strategy
You can read the draft policy and tell us what you think by completing our online survey:
https://yourvoicebucks.citizenspace.com/regulatory-services/street-trading/
or download a printable version and return it to us once completed.
In the meantime, should you have any questions or require further information then please do not hesitate to contact the Licensing Service,
licensing@buckinghamshire.gov.uk
Buckinghamshire Council use the responses from the public survey to develop the final Buckinghamshire Street Trading Policy. The policy will then be considered at Licensing Committee before it is presented for approval and adoption at Full Council in late 2024.
The survey response deadline is 26th May 2024.
