12 July 2026
Street Trading Consent: What It Is and How It Differs from a Licence
Street trading consent and street trading licences are different permissions — who grants them, who gets discretion, and what traders can actually use differ significantly. Here's how consent works in the UK.
Street trading consent and a street trading licence are not the same thing. Councils grant them on different streets, under different rules, and with different rights for traders. If the council you're applying to offers consent rather than a licence, your rights — including your right to appeal if refused — are different.
Here's what you need to know.
The Source of Both: Schedule 4 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982
Both licence streets and consent streets exist under the same piece of legislation: Schedule 4 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982. Most district, borough, and unitary councils in England and Wales have adopted these provisions, which gives them the power to designate their streets into three categories:
- Licence streets — trading is only lawful if the council has granted you a licence
- Consent streets — trading is only lawful if the council has granted you consent
- Prohibited streets — no street trading at all
Each council decides which category applies to which street. A single council can have some licence streets and some consent streets. London boroughs operate under the London Local Authorities Act 1990, which has parallel provisions.
The Key Difference: Discretion
The most important practical difference is how much discretion the council has to refuse you.
On a licence street, the council must grant your application unless one of the specified grounds for refusal applies. Those grounds include: the street is already "adequately served" by existing traders, there isn't enough space for additional traders, your proposed days or goods aren't suitable, or you've been convicted of certain offences. If the council refuses on grounds outside that list, or unreasonably, you can appeal to a magistrates' court within 21 days.
On a consent street, the council may grant consent "if they think fit." That's the actual statutory language. There are no mandatory grounds — the council can refuse without having to justify the decision under specific criteria. There's no statutory right of appeal if they say no.
This doesn't mean councils are arbitrary about consent applications. Most have stated policies and apply them consistently. But the legal framework gives them more room to manage their consent streets as they see fit.
What Traders on Consent Streets Can (and Can't) Use
There's a second practical difference that catches food truck operators out.
On a licence street, what you're allowed to trade from is specified in the conditions of your individual licence. The council tells you what you can use.
On a consent street, the default position under Schedule 4 is that consent holders "shall not trade from a van or other vehicle or from a stall, barrow or cart" — unless the council's consent specifically permits it. The 1982 Act sets that as the starting point; it's up to the council to override it in your consent if they want to allow mobile or vehicle-based trading.
In practice, many councils do grant consent that permits vehicle trading. But it's not automatic. When applying for consent, check the terms carefully to confirm that mobile trading from your specific vehicle type is covered.
Which Do You Have?
If you've already applied for or received permission from your council, check the paperwork. It should clearly say whether you've been granted a licence or consent. If it's a licence, look for the listed conditions — those are the terms you must comply with. If it's consent, the consent document sets out what's permitted, including whether vehicle trading is allowed.
If you're still in the planning stage and don't yet know which applies to the streets you want to trade on, the simplest approach is to contact the council directly and ask. You can find your local council's licensing team through the GOV.UK street trading licence finder.
How Consent Applications Work in Practice
The application process for consent is broadly similar to that for a licence, though the council has more flexibility in how it runs the process:
- Contact the council to find out which streets are designated consent streets and whether they're currently accepting applications
- Submit the application form — councils have their own forms; there's no national standard
- Provide supporting documents — typically include: proof of identity and address, food business registration, public liability insurance (minimum £5 million in most cases), food hygiene certificate, and vehicle details and photographs
- Pay any application or consent fees — these vary substantially between councils
- Wait for a decision — for licence streets the 1982 Act requires a decision "within a reasonable time" (no fixed deadline), and consent applications have no statutory time limit at all
If the council grants consent, it will specify the streets where you can trade, the permitted goods, trading hours, and any other conditions.
Penalties for Trading Without Consent
Trading on a consent street without valid consent is an offence. The maximum penalty is a fine at Level 3 on the standard scale — currently £1,000 — per the GOV.UK guidance and the Act itself.
The same maximum applies to trading without a licence on a licence street, and to breaching the conditions of either a licence or a consent.
Major Councils and Which System They Use
Most large councils use a mix. Some examples:
- Manchester — uses both licence streets (city centre, Inner Ring Road area) and consent streets (rest of the city). Full Manchester breakdown.
- Birmingham — operates a consent-based system across its designated streets. The annual application window (typically February) covers consent applications. Full Birmingham breakdown.
- Bristol — uses consent streets with a distinct mobile trader rate. Full Bristol breakdown.
- Westminster and other London boroughs — operate under the London Local Authorities Act 1990 rather than the 1982 Act, but the practical framework of licence and consent streets is similar.
For a cost comparison across councils, see the street trading licence costs guide.
If You Trade Across Multiple Councils
Most multi-council food truck operators will encounter both licence streets and consent streets across their trading areas. The rights and processes differ, but both require applying separately to each council — there's no blanket permission covering multiple areas.
Managing multiple permissions with different renewal dates, different conditions, and different councils is one of the core logistical challenges of operating a multi-area food truck. Use our free licence cost calculator to estimate total annual costs across your trading locations. StreetComply is building a dashboard to track all your licences, consents, and renewal dates in one place — join the waitlist to get notified when it launches.
This guidance covers the legal framework in England and Wales under the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 and the London Local Authorities Act 1990. Scotland has a separate system under the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982. If you trade in Scotland, see our Scotland street trading guide. This is general information, not legal advice — verify the specific rules with your council before applying.
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