Street trading in West Suffolk
West Suffolk Council’s Cabinet formally adopted the revised Street Trading Policy on Tuesday 17 September 2024 and it came into effect on 20 January 2025.
Prospective traders
Any prospective traders must contact the licensing team by email to arrange a discussion about their proposal before they apply. For full details of what information you will need to provide and what you need to take into consideration, please read the Street Trading Consent - guidance for new applicants.
New applications will not be accepted without prior discussion.
Existing consent holders
If you hold a current street trading consent and have no significant changes from your current consent you can apply for a renewal. Traders will need to submit a renewal application at least 28 days before their current consent expires.
For full details of how to renew and what constitutes a significant change please read the Street Trading Consent - guidance for renewals.
Please note, if a renewal is not issued before the expiry of the current consent, then the consent will expire, and a new application must be made. In this situation, trading will not be permitted until a new consent is issued.
Traders currently trading in the old St Edmundsbury area who did not previously require a consent
The revised Street Trading Policy now applies to the whole of West Suffolk which means that all areas now require consent. Traders should contact the licensing team following the prospective trader guidance above or email licensing@westsuffolk.gov.uk to arrange a call back.
Street trading at special events
The Street Trading Policy contains a specific section around special events (Section 15), which came into effect in April 2025. Please read Street Trading Consent - guidance for special events to see whether your event will need Street Trading Consent and for full details of application requirements.
Fees for application
Fees for have been revised to £409 for an initial consent and for a renewal. These fees have been calculated on a cost recovery basis and reflect the amount of time it takes to determine and enforce the process.