Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Cabinet has approved plans to modernise the street café licence process and waive any fees associated with trading externally until 30th September 2021.
A report was considered by Cabinet at a virtual meeting on 28 October where they have agreed to make the process easier for Caerphilly businesses to create a “street café” culture to support local town centres in a very challenging economic climate.
The report states that the current process for seeking and obtaining permission to trade on the footway within the County Borough is no longer fit for purpose i.e. it is a lengthy, bureaucratic process and involves up-front fees.
The new approach adopted will waiver the fees until September 30, 2021 and allow the street trading to take place during the 28 day consultation period. This will allow businesses to place furniture on the street immediately, rather than wait the 28-day consultation period, and will only revoke it if any valid objection is received within the 28 days.
The fees will be waived to allow businesses time to recover from the coronavirus pandemic, taking advantage of the 2021 spring and summer months.
Cllr. Sean Morgan, Cabinet Member for Economy and Enterprise, said: “We are doing all we can to support local businesses recover from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. This is a hugely challenging time for all our local businesses, so I am pleased we have made the decision to make the process of gaining a street café licence faster, more efficient and free until 30th September 2021. We hope this will encourage residents to support their highstreets and shop local.”
