Cake shed trading licence decision delayed

Cake shed owners have been given another pause from having to pay for a licence to sell their baked goods - because councillors could not agree on what to do with them.

A row about whether people selling cakes from sheds in their gardens should have to pay the local authority £1,007 for a licence has been rumbling on for weeks in Bassetlaw, Nottinghamshire.

Business owners have said the cost would force them to close but council officers at Bassetlaw District Council said it would create a more even playing field and help to protect the public.

At a meeting on Wednesday evening, councillors were asked to make a decision but they could not agree and have asked officers to look again.

Natalie Brooks, a cake shed owner who attended the meeting, said it became "quite heated" at points with a range of opinions shared - plus shouting.

"It feels absolutely crazy," the 37-year-old said. "I'd never have imagined cake sheds would get this much attention.

"The decision to look into it is a good thing. It means I can continue trading at the moment, but it also means it's going to drag on a little longer.

"It's been good so many people are standing by us... but we've had enough now, we just want it to be over with."

According to a report prepared by district council officers for the licensing committee, there are multiple options available to the authority.

The first is it could leave the current street trading policy as it is, which would mean cake shed owners are required to pay the £1,007 fee for a licence or face a fine.

A second option would see it make changes to the policy, which would need to be approved by full council and likely need a consultation.

Instead, a council spokesman said councillors "could not reach a consensus on the approach to cake sheds", and chose to ask for "further consideration of the policy", including the fees and charges associated with it.

Officers had recommended leaving the policy as it was, saying cake sheds operate in a similar way to burger vans and market stalls.

They had estimated one shed owner was bringing in about £90,000 a year and said licensing them "ensures consistency, fairness, and public protection".

But some cake shed owners told the BBC the amount they were making was much lower than this, and it would not be worth opening if they also had to pay for the licence.

Following a backlash to its initial decision to apply the fee, the council decided to pause enforcement for cake sheds while it made its final decision.

Now that decision has been delayed, the pause has been extended.

The licensing committee's next meeting is set for 22 July.

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