BURY ice cream traders have given a cold reception to plans to force them to pay £300 a year for a street trading licence.

And businessman Mr Jack Gibson has branded the licence "nothing more than a means of getting extra cash for the council".

His outburst comes days after the new licensing scheme, operated by Bury Council, came into force.

Mr Gibson's business, based in Portland Street, Bury, supplies confectionery to a 40-strong fleet of independently-run ice cream vans throughout the town and beyond.

The new licence covers a range of street trading activities and affects those selling articles or providing a service for gain.

Apart from ice cream vans, the permit will also be used for other mobile traders such as food and burger bars.

Mr Gibson is worried that given the seasonal nature of the ice cream business, the new costs could jeopardise the future of many independent traders.

He added: "These self-employed people already face massive overheads. Why don't people in the council charge themselves for going to work?

"This isn't something the Government has introduced, but the local authorities. It's nothing more than a new council tax."

Mr Gibson is unimpressed by Bury Council's argument the permit will keep out non-licensed vans from the borough.

"It's OK to say that - but who is going to police the ice cream vans that come in from outside the area?" he asked. "I'm sure no-one from the council will be out and about on a Sunday afternoon, checking where each ice cream van comes from."

Mr Gibson is worried his own livelihood could be threatened if some independent traders are driven to the wall.

Mr Andrew Johnson, Bury Council's environmental health manager, said the authority will be taking an initial "softly, softly" approach to the the enforcement of the licence.

"However, within a few months, there will be a penalty imposed for those trading without this consent," he warned.

Mr Johnson said this provision had been available to Bury Council since 1982.

Although other authorities had introduced the permit, Bury had held off until now.

He added the decision to go ahead with the scheme followed complaints from premises-based business.

They were concerned that mobile traders didn't pay rates or faced the same costs as they did.

"The new licences will also give us more control on the mobile traders who move in from different areas," Mr Johnson pointed out.

"All the surrounding authorities have brought in this consent provision sometime ago."

Earlier this year Bury Council initially advertised its intention to introduce the scheme, allowing a 28 day period for objections.

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