Have your say on new proposals for Islington’s street trading license and administration fees
To keep Islington’s street markets competitive, and continue to enable the day-to-day servicing of our markets for repairs and maintenance, energy supply, waste management, enforcement and business promotion, we are proposing to raise revenue by increasing street trading fees. This is the first time street trading fees have been reviewed since 2014. The council is consulting on fee rises for all traders as well as introducing some new administration charges.
Why we are raising our fees
All income raised from the new fees will go towards strengthening the street trading service to better support Islington’s traders and help traditional street markets compete with major retail chains and online sales. We want to provide a better promoted and more inclusive service that can attract new traders and help our markets thrive.
We need to raise income to ensure the effective administration and management of the service for the following reasons:
- Energy: costs have gone up significantly since the last time the council reviewed fees for street trading in 2014, with energy costs now significantly higher.
- Staffing: although wages at the council have risen at a rate below inflation, staff costs are still much higher than in 2014 across all teams that work on our markets, including, street trading, waste, compliance and highways.
- Repairs, infrastructure and maintenance: inflation means that costs of materials for infrastructure repairs and maintenance are also higher than in 2014.
- General improvements to markets: we want to deliver more events, better marketing and promotion and improvements to storage facilities.
These increased charges aren't going to be used for anything else within the council, or, for example, as another form of tax, but instead will be used solely to cover the costs of running an effective and inclusive street trading service.
About street trading
The council has a statutory (legal) responsibility to license anyone trading within seven metres of any public highway. This includes market stalls, kiosks or other trading units, such as food trailers. Licensing traders helps to:
- regulate the condition and health and safety of all traders
- protect our residents from unscrupulous sellers
- support markets as diverse community hubs
- provide inclusive and affordable workspaces for residents
- add vitality to our local economies
Our proposal
The proposal comprises two parts:
- Our fee increase proposal for traders in all wards and in all markets will bring charges back in line with the costs of running the service and improving Islington’s offer to potential new traders whilst continuing to offer the most cost effective street trading opportunities of any inner London borough.
- New administration charges are also proposed to include license variation requests, replacement stall cards, and panel referrals, alongside increases in other administration charges, that will enable the service to cover the cost of administering these services and create a more efficient service for traders.
You can find further details on the proposal, including the proposed fee increases and administration charges, via the Documents widget on the right.
We want to hear your views
Whether you are an existing trader, local resident, or business, we value your input on the council’s street trading fee proposals in Islington. We are seeking your opinion on new proposed fees, as well as any alternatives you believe we should consider. Please fill out our survey to let us know your thoughts.
Drop-in Sessions
We’re holding two drop-in sessions at Mercer & Co (26 Chapel Market, N1 9EZ). Feel free to come along if you have any specific queries or need assistance with completing the consultation survey.
- Wed 9 April , 1 - 3pm
- Wed 16 April, 1 - 3pm
Online focus groups
We’re holding two online focus groups for traders on 07 April and 14 April. You can join a group via the links below or the 'Key Dates' section to the right of the screen. You will need to put in your details and will receive reminders before the call. You only need to join one session.
NOTE: The online sessions will take place using Microsoft Teams. Please make sure you have the
appropriate app installed before joining the focus group.
Have your say on new proposals for Islington’s street trading license and administration fees
To keep Islington’s street markets competitive, and continue to enable the day-to-day servicing of our markets for repairs and maintenance, energy supply, waste management, enforcement and business promotion, we are proposing to raise revenue by increasing street trading fees. This is the first time street trading fees have been reviewed since 2014. The council is consulting on fee rises for all traders as well as introducing some new administration charges.
Why we are raising our fees
All income raised from the new fees will go towards strengthening the street trading service to better support Islington’s traders and help traditional street markets compete with major retail chains and online sales. We want to provide a better promoted and more inclusive service that can attract new traders and help our markets thrive.
We need to raise income to ensure the effective administration and management of the service for the following reasons:
- Energy: costs have gone up significantly since the last time the council reviewed fees for street trading in 2014, with energy costs now significantly higher.
- Staffing: although wages at the council have risen at a rate below inflation, staff costs are still much higher than in 2014 across all teams that work on our markets, including, street trading, waste, compliance and highways.
- Repairs, infrastructure and maintenance: inflation means that costs of materials for infrastructure repairs and maintenance are also higher than in 2014.
- General improvements to markets: we want to deliver more events, better marketing and promotion and improvements to storage facilities.
These increased charges aren't going to be used for anything else within the council, or, for example, as another form of tax, but instead will be used solely to cover the costs of running an effective and inclusive street trading service.
About street trading
The council has a statutory (legal) responsibility to license anyone trading within seven metres of any public highway. This includes market stalls, kiosks or other trading units, such as food trailers. Licensing traders helps to:
- regulate the condition and health and safety of all traders
- protect our residents from unscrupulous sellers
- support markets as diverse community hubs
- provide inclusive and affordable workspaces for residents
- add vitality to our local economies
Our proposal
The proposal comprises two parts:
- Our fee increase proposal for traders in all wards and in all markets will bring charges back in line with the costs of running the service and improving Islington’s offer to potential new traders whilst continuing to offer the most cost effective street trading opportunities of any inner London borough.
- New administration charges are also proposed to include license variation requests, replacement stall cards, and panel referrals, alongside increases in other administration charges, that will enable the service to cover the cost of administering these services and create a more efficient service for traders.
You can find further details on the proposal, including the proposed fee increases and administration charges, via the Documents widget on the right.
We want to hear your views
Whether you are an existing trader, local resident, or business, we value your input on the council’s street trading fee proposals in Islington. We are seeking your opinion on new proposed fees, as well as any alternatives you believe we should consider. Please fill out our survey to let us know your thoughts.
Drop-in Sessions
We’re holding two drop-in sessions at Mercer & Co (26 Chapel Market, N1 9EZ). Feel free to come along if you have any specific queries or need assistance with completing the consultation survey.
- Wed 9 April , 1 - 3pm
- Wed 16 April, 1 - 3pm
Online focus groups
We’re holding two online focus groups for traders on 07 April and 14 April. You can join a group via the links below or the 'Key Dates' section to the right of the screen. You will need to put in your details and will receive reminders before the call. You only need to join one session.
NOTE: The online sessions will take place using Microsoft Teams. Please make sure you have the
appropriate app installed before joining the focus group.
