'Make or break' decision looms for cake shed owners

Cake shed owners have said it is "make or break" for their businesses as a council prepares to rule on whether they need to be licensed.

A campaign by owners of the sheds - small units outside their homes from which people can purchase sweet treats - in Bassetlaw, Nottinghamshire, against a £1,007 street trading licence prompted the district council to pause its enforcement last month and pledge to review the policy.

But now council officers have recommended the businesses should not be exempt from its street trading policy, claiming some bring in £90,000 a year.

Councillors will decide what to do at a meeting on Wednesday evening.

Natalie Brooks, 37, who has been selling cakes from a shed in her garden in Rhodesia since January said: "We're all really anxious. We're all really stressed.

"We love doing this and it's really tough not knowing what's going to happen and it just seems so unfair."

Chloe, 30, who has also been running one since January in nearby Worksop, said the licence would be "crippling".

"The meeting is make or break for my cake shed," she said. "My message to the council is speak to the cake shed people, and the people in the community about this, and understand it's going to shut our businesses down."

Bassetlaw District Council previously told cake shed owners they needed to pay for a licence to operate and would face a £1,000 if they did not have one, a rule branded "ridiculous" by Natalie..

Shortly afterwards the council announced it would pause enforcement until the licensing committee could decide what to do.

Now, a report for that committee prepared by council officers has said the cake shed owners should come under their street trading policy - meaning they will need a licence.

Natalie said she makes about £100 weekly profit with the shed open for two days, which amounts to about £5,200 a year.

Paying the licence would therefore reduce her earnings by about a fifth.

"I think they're just not understanding how small a scale our businesses are," she said.

"I understand they probably want to do some form of licence, but make it fair.

"If we're only bringing in £100 a week, why do we need to be paying out this monstrous fee? It means we can't continue."

The report for the council said cake sheds operate in a similar way to burger vans and market stalls.

If they are not included in the licensing rules, it said they could bypass restrictions such as those related to selling sweets near schools, planning rules and providing proof of right to work in the UK.

Officers estimated the smallest shed they had identified brought in £17,280 per year while the largest – which also sells pre-packaged pots of custard, drinks and crisps – was bringing in £90,000.

The report said: "Including cake sheds in the street trading policy ensures consistency, fairness, and public protection.

"They function in the same way as traditional street trading units, and without regulation, they create an uneven playing field and reduce the ability to manage safety, location, and standards, and can lead to enforcement difficulties later on."

According to the report, the options open to councillors are to keep with the system where shed owners have to pay for their licence, to pass it back to full council to change the rules or to consult on changing them.

The topic will be discussed by councillors at the meeting on Wednesday before a decision is made.

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