Mixed feelings about this - there’s clearly a point where “I’m making a bit of food for friends” drifts into “I’m running a small shop” - but at what point in that do you say “you need to make sure your food preparation area is compliant”?
In an ideal situation, there would be a significantly smaller street trading fee for micro-businesses, or perhaps one which scaled with business size? If the council was running for the benefit of its community, the focus would be on supporting these micro-business through the process of bringing things up to standard and applying for the correct things, instead of fining them for being wrong.
Agree these emerging business are a great route to work for many. Practical support, that’s not (overweighted by middlemen and fake professional) could be a good win to communities.
Presuming this is a residential street im sure the neighbours are happy about 100s of people driving in from surrounding towns every day.
I agree there should be easier paths to compliance but clearly these rules exist for a reason and shouldn’t be ignored.
but clearly these rules exist for a reason
Yep. The Man always has to get his cut. This is capitalism wrapped in sheeple wool.
If it were about “safety”, then
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Donating to food to the hungry wouldn’t be a fucking crime, because the systems to ensure that food was fine’d be baseline already.
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Produce markets wouldn’t be ranked by their area’s affluence to ensure the poor get the products closest to spoiling, etc. (Don’t even get me started on “expiry” dates)
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Food workers would be properly trained, instead of forced to wear gloves to signal for the mewling masses “See? Just like a doctor, and doctors are always clean and safe.” —while continuing to touch every goddamn thing they come across for hours w/o washing their hands anymore, much less changing them out.
Instead, people blithely parrot this “safety” bullshit while millions go hungry and perfectly good, edible food is wasted in disgusting amounts every. single. day.
But, hey, at least everyone can (will/has) point at this “law”. “Ope, hands are tied, sorry.” 😶
Nah, it’s about keeping the poors in line and low-key afraid.
If it were about “safety”, then donating to food to the hungry wouldn’t be a fucking crime
I don’t think that that is a crime in the UK. Definitely is in the US though…
It’s not in the UK’s exploitation class’ interests yet.
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But red tape is now threatening the future of many bakers’ culinary creations as some councils in England are reviewing their street trading policies, and questioning whether cake sheds should require a licence.
What is this framing by the BBC? ‘Red tape’ is very ideological language. Most street food businesses don’t make anywhere near 1K a week, but I should feel sorry for these people having to follow the same rules as everyone else because it’s twee enough?
In Nottinghamshire, council officials have even suggested they should receive a slice of any money being made.
This is an insane way for the BBC of all institutions to frame a licence fee. If you’re middle class enough, the public broadcaster will frame fucking taxation as robbery. I can see the argument that £1000 annually is excessive for these type of businesses, but this is not the BBC’s framing.
