Issue - meetings

The report of the Director – Neighbourhoods is attached

The Senior Licensing and Enforcement Officer introduced the report and advised that whilst there was no legal requirement for this Policy to be reviewed it was considered best practice to do so.

The Committee noted that most changes were small, apart from the changes related to conditions, which were attached to every license issued. Of those, the main change was the requirement for all ice cream traders to have a current DBS certificate, given their access to children. The other main change related to Nottingham Forest Football Club, where consent was required in a number of locations to trade on match days. Recently there were issues with the Take That concert, with traders continuing to trade outside of match days in those areas, so the conditions have been changed to say that if they wish to trade outside those designated match days, they must apply for a separate street trading consent. All the traders with consent, had to have a minimum 3 rating on food hygiene.

Councillor Simms asked if there was any cost in applying for an extra licence, how long it took and expressed concern that additional burden was being put on businesses. The Senior Licensing and Enforcement Officer stated that they would use the same consent, it would simply be modified and there would be no additional cost.

Councillor Chewings questioned why the Policy had been changed to only include ice cream traders, (re DBS requirements), and whilst he did not think that it should go back to covering everyone, he was concerned that other vendors who mainly had contact with children, were no longer covered by this, and he suggested that some alternative, broader wording was required. The Senior Licensing and Enforcement Officer agreed that previously parts of the Policy had placed an additional burden on street traders and advised that there was a declaration within the application asking traders if they had any unspent convictions, and if they did, they would be asked about them. He went on to advise that the Council did not regulate market traders, as they came under the Markets Charter; however, if there was a mobile street trader offering confectionary, they would be asked for a DBS certificate, and if necessary it would be put into the Policy.  Councillor Chewings asked for this to be added to the Policy now, and the Head of Public Protection stated that subject to the Committee’s approval that could be added.

Councillor Chewings proposed that the wording be changed from ice cream traders to “traders with the primary objective of selling to children….”  and this was seconded by Councillor Simms.

Councillor Simms stated that ex-offenders needed to work and asked where the bar was set, and what sort of offences would be unacceptable. The Senior Licensing and Enforcement Officer referred to the Fit and Proper Test used in taxi licensing, which took into account the history and types of convictions and advised that this was not currently part of this Policy, but that it  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4