FOI request (FOI-86859328)

Number of active street traders

Requested Mon 03 September 2018
Responded  Wed 12 September 2018

I would like to know the current number of street traders you have approved and licensed to operate in your area. Please include those that trade in a market and on isolated pitches. It is essential for us that we know the number of traders that are currently active. If possible, I would also like to know the number of these which sell apparel if this information is captured. As a nice to have, but not essential, it would be useful for us to know the number of traders that have been approved and licensed to operate each year from 2013 to present (so the above information but over time). As this is not essential, as soon as you have the information relating to the current traders please send that to me, and inform me how long it will take to provide the same information for historical years and then we can make a decision as to whether it is worth the time. Please put this data in an Excel and reply with it attached to an email. Could you also please summarise the information in the body of the email.

Response

Street Trading consents are given a worksheet per event on our computer system.

NOTICE OF REFUSAL

The figures for 2013 to 2017 can only be given per worksheet. We are unable to breakdown each event for this period, as this would require a search on every single worksheet and would far exceed the time limit set out by the Information Commissioner therefore under S12 of the Freedom of information Act 2000 provides an exemption from the obligation to comply with a request for information if the estimated costs of complying with that request would exceed the prescribed appropriate limit.

We estimate that the costs of complying with your request would exceed the appropriate limit by a significant amount.

For this reason we feel unable to comply with this request.

Between 1st January 2013 and 31st December 2017 - 356 street trading consent worksheets have been recorded.

From 1st January 2018 to date - 282 street trading consents have been issued. Unfortunately no information is recorded with regard to what type of apparel they are selling.