Stockton councillors admit street trading permit process is "unfair"

Council leaders in Stockton have admitted they need to make the process for getting street trading permits fairer, after more than a thousand people signed a petition.

A policy that came in last year has made the whole of Stockton borough a "consent area," which means anyone who wants to sell goods on the street needs permission from Stockton Council.

But fees for this range between £100 and £2,140.

The petition, that asks to “remove the levy charged on local and community markets”, has drawn 1,065 signatures.

The petition asked the council to alter the rules to “exempt all community events”, such as the community market, family fun weekends and Christmas light switch-ons.

Established weekly markets in Stockton, Thornaby and Billingham are exempt, as is trading at events where traders make no commercial gain and all profits go back into a charity or association, and non-profit fundraising at events like church events and school festivals.

But other markets and events need consent because they have commercial traders.

The petition was presented to a full council meeting on Wednesday 19 November.

Councillor Norma Stephenson, cabinet member for access, communities and community safety, said: “We did state when it was introduced that between 12 and 18 months there would be a review.

I felt there were areas of it that were unfair and needed altering.

“I want to be clear that I don’t think this petition is about exemptions of local and community markets, but making it fairer - and we need to make it fairer."

She added, though, that public protections need to be in place to prevent people "selling anything they like."