Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Tough new powers to tackle ‘problem’ of illegal trading
aclaridge@thekmgroup.co.uk A BILL to give the city council powers to tackle illegal street traders in Canterbury is to become law.
The Canterbury City Council Bill will give the council the authority to dictate where traders can operate and issue fines to those without proper licences.
MP Julian Brazier has spent six years working on the bill and saw it passed by the House of Commons last week. It is awaiting Royal Assent before becoming law.
Mr Brazier said: “Canterbury has had a particular problem with street trading. It is, at heart, a medieval city with narrow streets, yet at the same time it is the third most visited city in the country.
“The resultant congestion has been made worse by numbers of illegal street traders operating beside the legitimate street traders – who have each paid for a licence to trade.
“It has taken six years and a lot of hard work, but at last the council will be able to tackle the illegal street trading which has blighted Canterbury’s High Street for far too long.”
City council leader John Gilbey, whose
‘It is, at heart, a medieval city with narrow streets, yet at the same time it is the third most visited city in the country’
staff will monitor the traders, said: “We don’t want to eliminate street trading, but we do want to control it and that’s why it’s good news for Canterbury.
“It will allow us to issue fixed penalty notices and designate various areas for street traders.”
The Canterbury City Council Bill allows the authority to control the activities of pedlars.
They will now only be able to trade legally if they go from house to house, carry all their wares or use a singlewheeled trolley rather than a mobile stall.
Is it right for street traders to be properly controlled? Email kentishgazette@thekmgroup.co.uk or write to Gazette House, Estuary View Business Park, Whitstable, CT5 3SE.