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 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
Previously issued street trading consents remain current until their expiry, and traders will need to continue to meet the conditions of their licence. Traders will need to submit a renewal application under the revised policy and meet the new conditions.
We encourage existing traders to look through the revised Street Trading Policy, as there are additional requirements that they will need to meet as part of their renewal application. These include a basic disclosure and barred service (DBS) checks and photo IDs. Full details can be found in the Street Trading Consent - guidance for renewals.
The significant changes document sets out the main changes between the two versions:
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 events
The policy contains specific sections around events. West Suffolk Council Licensing recognises that event planning takes place months before an event takes place. With this in mind the requirement of section 15 of the Policy (specifically concerning special events) will not take come into effect until April 2025.
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.