Ice cream van ban in school areas

ICE cream vans and other street traders are to be banned from plying their trade close to four secondary schools in Sheffield.

A pilot scheme is set to be introduced by the city council’s licensing department which would ban traders from the streets surrounding City School, Handsworth Grange Community Sports College, Newfield School and Yewlands Technology College, in a bid to stop pupils eating unhealthy snacks at break times.

The School Food Service, which has the school meals catering contract for Sheffield’s schools, has instigated the move as it says pupils leaving school grounds to buy snacks creates “health and safety concerns”.

It also says that eating healthier food, rather than sweets and fizzy drinks, improves pupils’ concentration and behaviour in the classroom.

The move comes after one ice cream trader, John McNeil, was granted an extension to his licence to trade outside Handsworth Grange school despite an objection from Leah Barratt – manager of the children’s and young people’s directorate at Sheffield Council.

Mr McNeil, whose family have run an ice cream business in Beighton, Sheffield since 1926, said any ban would be an unfair restraint on his trade.

The licensing committee which met last April agreed with him, and his licence to trade as Joe’s Ices was renewed. However, the new plans could see Mr McNeil being banned from parking his van on Ballifield Crescent and Handsworth Road, where he trades from at present.

A report set to go before Sheffield Council’s licensing board at a meeting on Tuesday, February 2 says: “There is currently a mobile trader that works within the vicinity of Handsworth Grange.

“If the proposals for the pilot scheme were to go ahead, this consent would need to be considered at length in line with the legislation.

“The holder of this consent will be consulted separately.”

The report says that the changes are being considered after Sheffield Council’s licensing department was approached by the School Food Service to try and tackle traders working outside secondary schools at lunchtimes.

It adds: “A meeting was set up on September 23 2009 which involved licensing, the School Food Service, the NHS and the Safeguarding Children Board and the matter was discussed in more depth.

“The group proposed that it would like to pilot a scheme at four schools where street trading would be prohibited in the surrounding streets.

“Licensing were told that, in addition to the health and safety concerns, there were concerns about what food pupils were buying when they were leaving the schools premises at break times.

“Statistics have shown that a healthier diet eaten during the school day improves behaviour and attendance.”

If the scheme is agreed at Tuesday’s meeting, a consultation period with all current street traders will run until Friday, March 12.

Following the consultation period, a further meeting of the council’s licensing board must be held to consider any representations. The board could then pass a resolution to change the designation of the streets affected by the ban.

The report adds: “It is proposed to prohibit the streets within an approximate half-mile radius of each of the four secondary schools.

“If the resolution is passed to prohibit street trading on these streets, no street trading at all will be permitted to take place.

“This includes any mobile traders that currently work in the area.”

Tuesday’s licensing board meeting, at which the proposals will be discussed by city councillors, begins at 10am at Sheffield Town Hall.