Bake sheds part of street trading policy review

Policies linked to bakers selling sweet treats from simple sheds are being reviewed by a council.

East Devon District Council said bakers had inquired about running bake sheds from their properties and questioned what licences or permissions were needed and how it would fit in with street trading policies.

Phillippa Norsworthy, a licensing manager at the council, said bake sheds were treated in line with its current street trading policy.

She said no updates had yet been made to the policy, but it was being reviewed. Norsworthy said "all street trading applications are subject to an initial application fee of £45 and an annual consent renewal fee of £45".

She said: "This means the majority of bake sheds fall into the category of requiring street trading consent and we are dealing with them on this basis.

"This means that a street trading consent application must be made and it is treated to the same application criteria as all street trading consents. However, we are currently reviewing our street trading policy."

The discussion was part of an Institute of Licensing webinar in July, discussing how local councils needed to secure street trading licences or consents, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

"All street trading applications are subject to an initial application fee of £45 and an annual consent renewal fee of £45."

Norsworthy said local councils "vary greatly" when dealing with street trading applications.

Some dedicated cake shedders say if tighter licensing rules are introduced, they could be forced to close down.

Norsworthy said bake sheds in East Devon also needed to be registered with the environmental health team.

She added that when submitting a street trading consent it needed to include a map of the site, a photograph of the trading unit, a copy of an insurance certificate, evidence of a food hygiene rating and other formal identity documentation.

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