Trader must pay fees despite council mistake

The van had been trading without paying fees at a church in Cheltenham

The owner of a mobile coffee shop has been told she must pay her street licensing fees despite a mistake meaning she did not pay for the past 12 months.

Tanya Baxter who trades as Tan's Coffee Box in St Luke's Road had not been paying fees amounting to thousands of pounds to Cheltenham Borough Council.

The council mistake came to light when Ms Baxter reapplied for her new licence in June, and officers realised they had not been taking payment. The previous fees were waived.

But she was told she would have to pay £3,298.32 of fees due for the forthcoming year of trading, despite more than 300 people signing a petition asking for the fees to continue to be waived.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Hollie Wakefield, who represented Ms Baxter at the licensing committee, said the small independent coffee business is run from a converted horse box.

She said hundreds of people had supported her appeal and added the cafe is well used by many patients from nearby Cheltenham General Hospital.

"We've received dozens of heartfelt letters," she told the committee, some of which were read to them.

Despite this, the committee voted unanimously to reject the bid to waive the forthcoming fees.

"The reasons being the subcommittee thinks the business is a wonderful addition to the Saint Luke's community and does a great job, as do other businesses," the council's solicitor said.

"That does not give rise to an exemption. There is no evidence before the committee and following questions asked of the applicant this evening, that any exemption should be given," they added.