Council's scoop on ice cream vans: Fees to double in Belfast, as traders say cost of living crisis already chilling sales
Belfast Council is to crank up the cost of selling ice cream – and it’s by a heck of a lot more than a 99.
City officials want to double fees they charge ice cream vans to operate, leading owners to lash out at a move they feel is totally screwball.
The hike is due to be debated at a council meeting tonight, with officials pushing for it to kick in during the first week of April. It’s already caused a ripple, though, as traders argue it’s an unfair increase when the cost of living crisis has forced families to cut back on treats, chilling their sales.
If it comes into force, it’ll put a flake in Belfast as the most expensive place in Northern Ireland for the typical Mr Whippy to operate.
Under the plans, the cost of a licence to run an ice cream van on weekdays would rise from £550 to £995.
A Saturday-only licence will more than double, shooting up from £300 to £795, while operating an ice cream van only on Sundays will go from £380 to £875.
Currently, a licence to sell ice cream from a van seven days a week costs £1,100; the revised fees would bump that up to £1,450.
The price of applying for a licence, which is non-refundable, will also rise – up from £180 to £310.
The moves are part of a wider string of increases to Belfast’s street trading fees, though according to a council report the impact on ice cream vans has sparked particular concern among traders.
It would also make Belfast the priciest place in the province to get a mobile street trading licence, which is required to run an ice cream van.
Most other councils have a flat fee for all mobile traders, and don’t break down into options for different days of the week as Belfast does.
To pick two beachfront areas popular with day-trippers, Ards and North Down charges £300 for a licence, while Causeway Coast and Glens sets its fee at £390 – though there’s an extra £90 charge to operate at Ballycastle’s annual Ould Lammas Fair.
Many districts in Northern Ireland charge less than £200.
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”.
Traders also argue the changes would “adversely affect the service provided to residents, which is of value to communities” and point out that ice cream sales depend on the weather, making operating days and income unpredictable.
However, council officials argue the hikes are needed as their own costs of administering and monitoring licences have gone up.
Fees were last altered nine years ago, state officials; since then, staff salaries and National Insurance contributions have both increased.
Checking traders to make sure they’re complying with licence conditions also involves spending, they add, with weekend and Sunday-only operators causing the council to pay its inspectors extra.
The final decision on fees lies in the hands of politicians tonight, who could break with officials’ recommendations – though it’s not common for them to do so.