Licences and street trading

Gambling Act 2005 |
Gambling Act 2005 - current applications |
Licensing Act 2003 |
Licensing Act 2003 - current applications

The Licensing Team of the City of London Trading Standards Service administers the licensing requirements for a wide range of activities within the Square Mile.

Many application forms may be found below. The application forms for gambling, alcohol and entertainment, may be found at the links above.

The address for personal visitors only is:

Licensing Service
Trading Standards & Veterinary Services
Walbrook Wharf
78-83 Upper Thames St
London
EC4R 3TD

All correspondence should be sent to

City of London
Licensing Service
Trading Standards & Veterinary Services
PO Box 270
Guildhall
London EC2P 2EJ

Further information on the type of licence or registration you may need, can be found on the Businesslink website.

Helpful information and fact sheets on gaming licences can be found on The Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) website and The Gambling Commission website.

Helpful information for charities conducting fund raising activities can be found on The Charities Commission website.

You may also need to take advice from or notify either or both The Police or The Fire Brigade.

Details of the contacts needed are in the individual guidance notes or application forms.

Forms, once completed, should be sent,together with supporting documentation, to the Trading Standards and Veterinary Services Director at the following address:

City of London
Licensing Service
Trading Standards & Veterinary Services
PO Box 270
Guildhall
London EC2P 2EJ

Tel 020 7332 3406
Fax 020 7332 3536
Email TradingStandards.Licensing@cityoflondon.gov.uk

If you have any queries on any licensing matters please contact the Licensing Team at the above address.

You may also need to take advice from our Environmental Health Officers, regarding Food Hygiene and Health and Safety

Entertainment Licensing (Public Entertainment Licensing, PEL)

Please see Licensing Act 2003 information above.

Other licenses

The Department is also responsible for issuing other licences which includes those listed below. Please contact the Licensing Team for further information.

Animal Boarding Establishment Licence
Pet Shop Licence
Sports Ground Licence
Track Betting Licence
Dog Breeding Licence
Exotic, Dangerous or Wild Animals Licence
Car Boot Sales Licence
Riding Establishment Licence
Zoo Licence
Caravan Site Licence

Contact

Tel 020 7332 3406
Fax 020 7332 3536
Email TradingStandards.Licensing@cityoflondon.gov.uk

Licence - credit: Where needed a credit licence must be obtained from the Consumer Credit Licensing Bureau of the Office of Fair Trading under the Consumer Credit Act 1974.

Licence - hairdresser: Hairdressers and barbers are required to be registered with the local authority. Following an application an Officer will visit premises to check they meet health and safety guidelines and conform with local Byelaws. Premises will be inspected on a regular basis once registered.

Licence - house to house collections: Permission must be granted by the local authority before a house to house collection can take place. Application should be made to the local authority with sufficient notice prior to the date on which the collection is due to take place. In Scotland the Civic Government (Scotland) Act, 1982 and the Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Scotland) Act, 1990 require that permission must be granted by the local authority for Public Charitable Collections.

Licence - markets: A licence is required to operate any private market, which is defined as being a market, whether covered or not, carried on by any person other than a local or public authority; at which goods are offered by more than one seller for sale by retail to the public. Events for which a licence are required include car boot sales, antique and craft fairs, agricultural shows and highland games where there are trade stalls and certain types of commercial sales.

Licence - nursing agencies: Any agency which supplies nurses to hospitals, old peoples homes or other outlets can only do so if they are licensed. This applies to employment agencies or any organisation or individual operating in this area of work. With effect from 01 Apr 2003 the licensing of nursing agencies was moved to the National Care Standards Commission.

Licence - second hand goods: A registration certificate, issued by the local authority, may be required by local legislation if a person sells second-hand goods. In Scotland the owner or manager of a shop or business selling second-hand goods is required to have a licence from the council. Permission is issued under the Civic Government (Scotland) Act, 1982.

Licence - street collections: Permission must be granted by the local authority before a street collection can take place. Application should be made to the local authority with sufficient notice prior to the date on which the collection is due to take place. This requirement applies to all organisations that collect from a street or a public highway. In Scotland the Civic Government (Scotland) Act, 1982 and the Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Scotland) Act, 1990 require that permission must be granted by the local authority for Public Charitable Collections.

Licence - street trading: Consent to trade is required for all street trading activities such as hot food vehicles, ice cream vans and flower stalls. Food business may be subject to inspection and permission to site a mobile stall will be required from the Highways Department and from the landowner.

Licence - Sunday trading notifications: Restrictions on opening times on Sundays are confined to large shops (defined as those having an internal sales area of over 280m2). These shops must be registered with the council for trading on a Sunday, and specify the six hours of trading on a Sunday which must be between the hours of 10.00 to 18.00. Smaller shops may trade freely on a Sunday.

Licence - voluntary sector transport: Minibus Permits - otherwise known as Section 19 permits - can be issued to organisations concerned with religion, education, recreation, social welfare and other activities of benefit to the community. Permits can allow the use of a minibus with between 9 and 16 passenger seats for hire and reward, without the need for the operator to hold a Public Service Vehicle (PSV) Operator's licence

Licence - weighbridge operator: Trading Standards Officers test the competence of Public Weighbridge Operators and issue a certificate before public weighings can be carried out. Records are kept of all public weighbridges and the locations of the nearest public weighbridges are given on request.

MOT testing: A council may provide MOT testing of vehicles where council garages have been accredited to perform tests on vehicles for local citizens and businesses in addition to council vehicles.

Registration - motor salvage operator: Any person who carries on a business that involves the recovery of salvageable parts from motor vehicles and the subsequent sale or disposal for scrap of the remainder of the vehicle, or the purchase of 'written off' vehicles for repair or resale, or other related activities needs to register with their local authority. In Scotland the Road Safety Bill currently being considered by the Scottish Parliament may legislate in this area.

Registration - scrap metal site: The Scrap Metal Dealers Act 1964 requires that all persons or businesses defined by the Act as a scrap metal dealer, register with their local authority. In Scotland metal dealers require a licence under the terms of Section 28 of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982, for any premises which would be used for dealing in or processing metal.

Street trading - illegal: Monitoring and regulation of street traders to ensure that trading is only taking place under licence from the local authority. Dealing with reported instances of unlicensed street trading.