21 June 2026
Street Trading Licence Liverpool: Fees, Consent & How to Apply
Liverpool street trading consent fees — £70 admin fee, daily consent from £66.24, long-term static £956.03. How the licensed/consent street split works, why new licences are paused, and how to apply.
Liverpool runs its street trading on a consent system rather than full licences for most traders — and there's one quirk worth knowing before you plan a pitch: the council is not currently granting any new licences for its main licensed streets. For food truck operators, that means the realistic route in is a street trading consent on a consent street, or one of the specific locations the council is still taking applications for.
A street trading consent in Liverpool starts with a £70 non-refundable administration fee, on top of the trading fee for the consent type you apply for. Daily consent starts at £66.24 on first application; longer-term static consents run to £956.03. This guide covers the fees, how Liverpool's scheme is structured, and the practical points for food trucks applying to Liverpool City Council.
How Liverpool's Scheme Works
Liverpool operates under the standard England and Wales framework — Schedule 4 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 — which splits streets into three categories:
- Licensed streets — you need a full street trading licence to trade. Liverpool is not currently granting any new licences for its main licensed streets.
- Consent streets — you apply for the council's consent to trade. This is the route most food trucks take.
- Prohibited streets — trading is not allowed at all.
Because new licences for the main licensed streets are paused, most new food truck applications go through the consent route. The council also accepts applications for specific spots — including the Sefton Park perimeter (Aigburth Drive, Croxteth Drive, Mossley Hill Drive) and Waterloo Place — so it's worth asking the licensing team where there's current availability.
You can check the council's published list of licensed streets and prohibited streets before applying so you know which category your target pitch falls into.
Fees
Liverpool's fees have two parts: a fixed administration fee, plus the trading fee for the consent type. The figures below are the council's current published rates:
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Administration fee (non-refundable, all applications) | £70.00 |
| Daily consent — initial application | £66.24, then £20.14 per additional day (max 5 days) |
| Long-term static consent — grant | £956.03 |
| Long-term static consent — renewal (12 months) | £412.63 |
| Long-term mobile consent (ice cream traders) — renewal (12 months) | £349.19 |
A worked example for daily consent: one day is £68.67 all-in; two days £86.38; three days £106.52; four days £126.66; five days £146.80 (these figures already include the per-day add-on, not the separate £70 admin fee).
The £70 administration fee is non-refundable — you pay it whether or not the consent is granted, so check availability before applying.
How to Apply
The process is online through Liverpool City Council's licensing service:
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Check which streets are available. Confirm whether your target pitch is on a consent street and whether the council is currently accepting applications there. With new licences for the main licensed streets paused, this step saves wasted applications.
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Choose your consent type. Daily consent suits one-off events and short runs; long-term static or mobile consent suits a regular pitch.
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Complete the application for grant or renewal of a street trading consent via the council's online form, and pay the £70 administration fee plus the trading fee.
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Submit your supporting documents. Liverpool, like most councils, expects:
- proof of identity
- food business registration confirmation (from the council where your vehicle is stored overnight)
- public liability insurance (most councils expect at least £5 million)
- a Level 2 food hygiene certificate or equivalent training
- a gas safety certificate (CP44) if you use gas appliances
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Wait for the decision. Apply in good time — consent applications aren't instant.
What Liverpool Specifically Requires
A few points food truck operators should plan around:
- The licensed-street pause. Don't build a plan around a high-footfall city-centre licensed street — new licences there aren't being granted. Focus on consent streets and the locations the council is actively filling.
- Food business registration is separate. Your trading consent doesn't cover food hygiene. You must register your food business with the relevant council at least 28 days before trading — free and one-time. See GOV.UK's food business registration guidance.
- Pavement café licences are different. If you want tables and chairs on the pavement, that's a separate licence under the Highways Act 1980, not a street trading consent.
How Liverpool Compares
Liverpool's £70 admin fee plus a £956.03 long-term static consent puts it in the mid-range for major English cities. Manchester's flat £720 street trader licence is simpler — one annual fee, no separate admin charge — while Birmingham uses a quarterly-invoiced consent scheme. The big difference in Liverpool is the licensed-street pause, which pushes most operators toward consents and specific available pitches rather than a free choice of city-centre location.
For the national picture, see our council-by-council cost breakdown.
Where to Go Next
To estimate what you'll spend across Liverpool and other councils, try our free licence cost calculator — select your target councils and see the estimated fee total. Run the food truck compliance checker to confirm you've got every certificate in place before you apply. If you'd rather track all your licence and certificate renewal dates in one place once the system is live, join the waitlist.
This is general guidance based on the published Act and Liverpool City Council's current fees. Fees and the licensed-street position are set by the council and reviewed regularly — verify the current position with the council's licensing team before applying. This is not legal advice.
Sources
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