General Licensing
Although the Licensing Team deal primarily with Private Hire
& Hackney Carriage Licensing, The Licensing Act 2003 and the
Gambling Act 2005; there are many other Licences we are responsible
for issuing and enforcing. You can find these Licences listed
below, please click on the link most relevant to your enquiry.
Artists Licences
Artists are regulated under the Cheshire County Council Act of
1980, under the Act selling items on a street is illegal without
having a Licence issued by Cheshire West and Chester Council. The
Licensing Team issue two categories of Artists Licence; Default and
Full.
There are six Artists Pitches along the Groves area of the
Chester City Centre. Full Licence Holders are granted
permanent rights to one of those pitches. Default Licence Holders
are able to use any of the picthes if they are available, however
should the full Licence Holder for that pitch arrive before 12pm,
the Default Holder must relinquish the pitch and allow the Full
Licence Holder to trade.
Cheshire West and Chester Council issues a maximum of six
and three Default Licences. At present these are all
issued so we are unable to accept new
applications.
House to House Collections
Any person or organisation planning to make charitable
collections by way of door to door visits must apply to the Local
Authority for that area and apply for a House to House Collections
Permit.
Collecting money for a Charity must be strictly regulated and
Licensed to protect the Public, the Collectors and the
Charity.
Those eligible for a Permit must be over 16, must provide
proof that there will be no personal material gain made from
the collection and that all monies made will be donated to a
pre-determined registered Charity. Written consent from the
Charity authorising the collection on their behalf must be
provided, the collector must also provide detailed information on
the aims and objectives of the Charity. There is no fee for a House
to House Collections Permit.
Scrap Metal Dealers
The dealing in scrap metal or the running of a scrap metal
business is controlled by the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 1964. No
person may carry on the business of a scrap metal dealer unless
they are registered to do so by their Local Authority. To apply for
registration, click the application forms link below.
Sex Establishments
Schedule 3 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions)
Act 1982, covers the licensing of Sex Shops and Sex Cinemas. All
applications must be advertised in the local press. In addition,
where the application is in respect of a premise, a notice must be
displayed outside the premises. The local authority is responsible
for processing applications and issuing of licences.
Street Collections (Charitable)
There are two different permits issued for Charitable Street
Collections, Localised Collections and Flag Day Collections. As
with House to House Collections, applicants must be able to
demonstrate they have the permission of the Registered Charity and
that all proceeds will be given to the Charity.
Flag Day Street Collections
Flag days are on alternate Saturdays begining the first
Saturday in April and the end of November. They also occur on
alternate Fridays from the begining of June to the end of
August. Charities are only allocated one Flag Day per year,
due to the high demand for these permits, your application
for the coming year must be submitted no later than 31st December
of the previous year. Application forms can be obtained by
clicking the link below.
Localised Street Collections
Localised Street Collections can be held on any day other than a
Flag Day but restrict the Permit Holder to a specific area and to a
specific number of people. Localised Collections are traditionally
accompanied by an Activity to raise money (Such as
Entertainment). Application forms can be obtained by clicking
the link below.
There is no charge for either a Flag Day or Standard Charitable
Street Collections Permit.
Street Trading
Street Trading in Cheshire West and Chester is
regulated under two Acts; The Local Government Miscellaneous
Provisions Act of 1982 and the Cheshire County Council
Act of 1980. Under these pieces of legislation, Street Trading
in Cheshire West and Chester without a Licence issued
by Council is illegal.
Cheshire West and Chester Council issues two categories of
Street Trading Licence:
Street Trading Licence
Under the provisions of the Cheshire County Council Act 1980,
there are 5 designated Pitches within Chester City Centre for which
Licences can be issued. Licence Holders must operate from an
approved stall design within a specifically designated area and
must only sell a maximum of ten different types of item. These
categories are declared upon initial application.
Street Trading Consent
Street Trading Consent Licences allow the holder to operate from
within a moving vehicle and pull up on the roadside only to conduct
a sale. A Clearways Order made by Cheshire County Council prevents
any Trader from operating from a highway or a lay by. The best
example of a Consent Licence in use would be an Ice Cream Van.
The Street Trading Consent Licences are governed under the Local
Government Miscellaneous Provisions Act of 1982. Under this
legislation a list of 106 Streets were designated as 'Prohibited
Streets' in which Street Trading cannot take place even by a
Consent Licence Holder. Anyone issued with a Consent Licence will,
upon application, sign a legal agreement to not trade from any of
the designated streets under any circumstances. A list of the 106
Streets is available to download below, you can also download the
application form by clicking the appropriate link.
To view and download application forms for Street Trading
Licences, use the link below.