Blue summer for ice cream vans: Council to skyrocket fees over three years, as traders warn cost of living crisis already chilling sales

Belfast politicians approved the hike this week, which came despite owners hitting out a move they think is totally screwball.

The council did back down from its original idea that would’ve seen the entire hike imposed within weeks, rather than over a three-year period – though changes to the fee system will mean traders who want a licence covering all seven days in the week will wind up paying substantially more than was planned.

Under moves published last month, the cost of a seven-day licence was going to rise from its current price of £1,100 to £1,450; under the revised plan that has now been approved, it will rise to £1,489 this year, then £1,683 next year and £1,901.81 the year after.

It means that instead of facing a one-off increase of 31%, by the end of the three-year hike period Monday-to-Sunday traders will be paying the council 73% more than they have been.

The revised fees still have to be rubber-stamped by a full council meeting before they will come into force. That’s likely to be little more than a formality, however, meaning Belfast politicians are almost certain to put a flake in the city as the most expensive place in Northern Ireland for the typical Mr Whippy to operate.

In council documents, officials state that fees for mobile street trading licences, which all ice cream vans are required to have to operate, last increased nine years ago.

Inflation from 2017 to February of this year works out at 35.4%, state officials, and councillors this week approved increases in line with that amount for the first year of the hike period, followed by rises of roughly 13% for each of the subsequent two years.

The 13% figure, state documents, comprises a rise of 10% to cover increasing costs plus an estimated 3% from further inflation.

Compared to the plans released last month, in some cases the new system will effectively spread the originally planned hikes across three years instead of imposing them all in one go – for example, a Monday to Friday licence was to go from £550 to £955 in a single leap, but will now increase to £950 over three years.

But permits to operate on a single weekday or from Monday to Saturday will, like a seven-day licence, cost far more by the end of the hike period than was originally planned.

A single-day permit was to increase by 31%, and the six-day licence by 47%; both will now jump almost 73% over three years.

According to council reports, traders have complained that the hikes are “not fair or appropriate”, adding they’re on the table at a time when fuel and staffing costs are up while spending from customers is down as “people make cutbacks on luxury or treat items like ice cream”. They also point out that ice cream sales depend on the weather, making operating days and income unpredictable.

Officials argue hikes are needed as the council’s costs of administering and monitoring licences have gone up.