Pavement café licences to remain free in Wakefield district
Thursday, February 06, 2025
Wakefield Council is supporting local businesses by continuing not to charge for pavement café licences beyond 1 April 2025.
Councils have been able to charge for licences since 2020 and new laws mean that they can now charge up to £500 for new applications and £350 for renewals. But the Council has decided not to pass these new charges on to local businesses.
“Supporting our local businesses and high streets to thrive is one of our top priorities.
“So, I’m really pleased that we’ve made the decision to not charge for pavement café licences. It’s one less thing for businesses to worry about as they try and bring in more customers.
“Some of our smaller cafes and restaurants in particular benefit from having extra outside space, and that in turn helps to boost the local economy.”
Cllr Les Shaw
Cabinet Member for Resources
“This is extremely welcome news for our local businesses who make use of these licences. It’s just one of the many ways we are continuing to do what we can to support them.
“Pavement cafes add to the vibrancy and hospitality offer in our towns and city centres. By continuing to offer licences free of charge we hope more businesses will take up the opportunity to provide outdoor cafés and help our high streets to thrive.”
Cllr Michael Graham
Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Economic Growth
Since the introduction of the Business and Planning Act in June 2020, councils have been able to charge a maximum fee for pavement café licences of £100. Wakefield made the decision at the time not to do this, to support businesses recovering from the covid pandemic. And new changes have seen a huge increase in the fees that Councils can now charge.
There are currently 51 active pavement café licences in the Wakefield district.
Thomas Wales, Chief Executive, Wakefield BID, said: "Wakefield BID is glad that Wakefield Council has listened to our concerns and acted in the best interests of our local businesses by continuing to offer free pavement café licences. We lobbied for this important decision, knowing how crucial outdoor space is for businesses, particularly in these challenging times.
“This initiative not only supports the growth of our cafés, restaurants and nighttime economy but also helps enhance the vibrancy of our high streets. We’re pleased to see the Council’s continued commitment to the local economy and to working alongside Wakefield BID to create a thriving city centre for all."
For more information about pavement café licences, please visit Pavement cafés - Wakefield Council